As it Fades
by MoonRiver513
Summary: Part I of Rogue's story after her return to the Mansion at the end of XMen 3. Can she live in both the mutant and the human world? Will she have to choose?
1. Chapter 1

This is a story about Rogue, after the happenings of X-Men 3 (the movie). It's going to be in three different parts, all including the return of her powers, the return of the Professor, her new powers and (gasp) Gambit. So keep reading! This whole story is only Part I, so look out for the other two when this one is over. Thanks so much! Read and review, all your input/comments/whatever help!

* * *

Rogue sat in the small room, her hands wringing in her lap as her stomach lurched. She knew she had made the right choice, she _knew _it. What she didn't know was how he would react. Would he be happy? Upset? Would he even want her anymore?She moaned inwardly, pressing her palm against her churning belly. Why was she so nervous? What could be a better thing for her than this? But she couldn't stop that little voice in her head that kept repeating what a mistake she had made. What would life be like for her now? Would she even be allowed to stay at the mansion? Would-- 

"You're back."

Her head snapped to the doorway as her heart leapt into her throat. She could feel the lump in her throat. "B-bobby." She managed, smoothing her hands on the legs of her pants. She stood, awkwardly, as he walked toward her. She noted he hadn't hesitated, or turned away. He didn't look happy, though. Oh, God.

She stood in front of him, her heart racing, and her stomach feeling as if it would drop to her feet. "I'm sorry," She said, swallowing hard. "I had to." She knew he would understand this explanation.

He looked into her eyes for only a moment, a small flicker of regret passing through his eyes before he spoke, "This isn't what I wanted." He said, his voice quiet.

"I know," She said, her heart slowing slightly. "It's what _I _wanted." She gave a small, hopeful smile. He bent his head, and inched slowly forward. Rogue felt her heart leap as she noticed him reaching for her hand. She took a small breath as she felt his skin touch hers, and their fingers intertwined.

She let out the breath she had been holding in and glanced up into his face, feeling a lump begin in her throat, and wetness gather in her eyes. She smiled as she fought not to let the tears fall, and laughed as she threw her arms around his neck, letting out a laugh full of tears and sniffles. Bobby squeezed her tight as he smiled and pulled his head back to look at her face. He let out a laugh as they simply looked at each other for a moment and then he reached up and cupped her cheek, letting his hand linger on her skin.

Rogue inhaled as she felt her heart leap again, as it swelled to fill her entire chest. A few tears did escape her eyes now as she rested her cheek on his hand for a moment. He moved his thumb to rub against the path of the tear, drying it. She let out another laugh and he joined her, both feeling slightly loopy. After a moment, Bobby quieted, bringing his other hand up to cradle her face. Slowly, sweetly, he pressed his lips to hers, keeping the kiss simple and yet it was so powerful.

Rogue couldn't seem to stop smiling and giggled as she backed away, pressing her tingling lips together. She squeezed his hand and gave a little hop, pressing her lips to his again quickly and then throwing her arms around his shoulders again. His face was wide with a smile and he took both her hands in his. "Come on," he said, "let's go find everyone else."

She laughed, nodding and following him out of his room. There were so many possibilities now. So many new things for her to experience, she realized, a wide smile on her face as she walked through the mansion, ready to take on anything.

She couldn't wait.

* * *

Rogue woke from the dream, her eyes focusing on the alarm clock by her nightstand. The bright red letters flashed that it was 5:42AM. With a groan, she rolled away from the bright red light and let out a sigh.

She hated having that dream. Weren't dreams supposed to be about ridiculous circumstances where people you met once in your life were going through completely random events with you? Only a week ago she had a dream about going to a carnival with Johnny Depp and her third grade teacher. Why couldn't she have _that _as a recurring dream?

No, instead she had to have the recurring dream about the day she returned to the mansion after she had received the cure. That really had been a great day…

Rogue let out a frustrated sigh as she sat up. _Stop, just stop. _She told herself. _Just stop thinking about it. _She knew the only way to actually stop thinking about it , though, was to get up and get stated on the day. She threw back the covers, sliding out of her bed and throwing on some clothes. Like usual, she grinned to herself as she slipped on a regular t-shirt and she rubbed her hands over her bare arms and bare hands. It hadn't gotten old, yet, the invigorating feeling of not having to cover up.

She walked towards the kitchen, her feet bare and soundless on the wooden floor. She yawned as she entered the kitchen and halted, seeing a familiar group of people gathered around the island in the middle of the room. "Oh," She said, feeling awkward.

They turned at her voice and she could see the collective wince pass over every face but one. Rogue kept her face calm as she glanced toward Logan's face, which was as serene as hers. She knew his steady look by heart now, and made sure to keep her voice level. "I'll come back later."

"No, Rogue," She heard, and turned to see Warren's angelic, and sympathetic, face looking towards her. "It's alright, come stay."

Against her will Rogue felt her eyes snap quickly to Bobby's face, registered his blank expression and pulled her eyes away. She smiled tentatively and walked forward, "Ok", she said. _If Bobby doesn't want to be in the same room as me, he can leave_, she figured. "So, out late last night?" She asked, stepping forward to lean against the counter of the island.

"Just got back an hour ago," Pete said, his massive body towering over Kitty's small one next to him. Rogue nodded, looking straight into his face to avoid looking at Kitty next to him. And Bobby next to her.

"What was it?"

"There was another riot near New York City." Logan grumbled.

"Another one?" Rogue asked, surprised. "That's, what, three this month?"

"Yeah, those Friends of Humanity are really starting to cause a problem around that area." Bobby answered, visibly upset. Rogue forced herself to actually look at him, but she quickly glanced away once she saw Kitty place her hand on his arm, trying to calm him.

"Did you guys have any problems?" She glanced to Logan, searching in his eyes.

"We managed to break it up," Storm said, walking toward the fridge and taking out a bottle of water. "Those Friends of Humanity people knew that there were mutants there, though. And that only fueled them on."

"I can't believe they're causing such a problem," Rogue mused. "I thought mutant relations were supposed to be getting better." She noticed Logan watching her, but ignored him. There was a short awkward silence as no one answered her and Rogue finally couldn't take anymore.

"Well, I'm going for a run." She said, falsely cheerful. "And I've got to work later on," She lied, desperate to fill the silence. "Have a good morning." She said, walking out.

God, how ridiculously awkward. But, on the bright side she had managed to have an entire conversation with both Kitty and Bobby in the room. She had made it, and that was a massive step in the right direction. At least it wasn't as bad as it had been almost two months ago, just after she and Bobby had broken it off.

She let out a sigh as she began her run outside the mansion front door, after changing into her workout clothes. As she began her regular path through the grounds, she tried to put Bobby out of her mind, but it was no use. She knew she might as well let it play out in her mind, like it did every day no matter how much she tried to avoid it.

After she had gotten the cure, Rogue had returned to the mansion and returned to her life. Well, most aspects of her life. Since she was technically a regular human now, she was no longer an X-man and spent most of her nights as the designated babysitter for the children of the school and managed to find a job a short way away from the mansion.

Things had gone pretty well with Bobby for a while, almost three months. She admitted to herself that they _might _have moved too quickly after she came back, but Rogue knew she wouldn't change it now if she could. It was the first time in how many years that she was able to actually have contact with another human being, she didn't think it mattered if she was more than a little easy with her boyfriend of almost two years.

We _don't have to do this," _He had whispered, that first time, his arms wrapped tightly around her. She had laughed.

"I want to."

After only a few months, though, she began to feel detached from Bobby, and the rest of the group too. She wasn't allowed to go on missions since she was as a liability. It made sense since she didn't have any way to protect herself, nor could she let herself be a danger to the team, or to their mission. She wasn't a member of the team anymore. She wasn't even a mutant anymore.

There had been numerous problems just after the battle with Magneto, many big cities had erupted into riots against mutants and the X-Men were constantly heading out on missions to try to keep the peace. So, as Bobby was spending less and less time with her, Rogue began to get jealous. As a result, they started to grow apart. Rogue pumped her legs faster, trying to work up a sweat.

She began picking fights, about the stupidest things, and eventually about bigger issues. Her favorite topic near the end of their relationship was his interest in Kitty. Honestly, it was sad how Rogue had never been able to get over that small suspicion from months earlier, that small suspicion that helped her decision to get the cure. It renewed itself, though, as he was forced to spend more time with Kitty, instead of his girlfriend.

Rogue felt a cramp starting but pushed on harder, forcing herself to keep going, and to go faster. She was finding it harder to breathe, but pushed herself more.

She knew that her temper and the fights that she picked were the main problem that ended their relationship. She drove him away, she knew it. _Faster, faster. _And now she had to deal with consequence of seeing him in class and around the mansion. _Go, go. _With his new girlfriend. _Keep going._ Kitty.

Rogue tried to tell herself she wasn't surprised. She _knew _that there had been something there all those months ago. She stopped short now, bending over as she held onto her aching side. She coughed and gasped, still gripping her side. She kept her eyes closed against the sunlight that was shining onto her now, and fought the feeling that she was going to cry.

she heard inside her head. _It's your fault. _Rogue coughed and breathed in on one long sob. She stayed in her hunched over position for what felt like an hour, trying to stay still. Eventually, her breaths calmed and the ache in her side eased enough for her to straighten. 

She hated days like these. Days when she just felt sorry for herself and couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened. She especially hated having the dream about that oh-so-perfect day. It was usually the main factor in her bad days.

Rogue forced herself to start at a slow jog again, heading back towards the mansion. Mostly, she just hated feeling so weak and helpless about the entire situation. She didn't like the idea of bursting into tears at any moment. She was annoyed at herself for being so…female. She just felt like an outcast all the time, now…_still_. She was the only human in the mansion, and was now surrounded by awkwardness at all times because she couldn't avoid the Bobby issue anywhere inside the mansion.

Once back inside, Rogue paused in the foyer as she let her thoughts run through her mind, and was interrupted by a happy call that made her look toward the staircase. "Rogue!" She heard, seeing someone rush down the stairs. She smiled when she saw who it was.

"Hey Jimmy," Rogue said, greeting him with her regular warmth. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Eh, have a lot of homework to do," He said, shrugging. "I want to get it done before tonight."

"That's a good plan," She said, smiling at him. "I just went for a run, so I think I'm going to go shower. Don't forget to go eat something," She reminded him, patting his shoulder.

"'Kay." He chirped as Rogue turned away to run upstairs, and she didn't notice him remain the foyer and watch her run up the stairs.

As Rogue showered and dressed, she thought over her situation. She wasn't so sad that Bobby wasn't hers anymore, that wasn't the problem. It seemed as if she was more sad that she had not been able to make the relationship work. She had never been able to really trust Bobby, to fully let herself be his and be an equal part of their relationship. _I never even told him my name, _she recalled, brushing her hair.

She blinked. She had completely forgotten that. She had never told Bobby her real name. And he had _hated _that. He had actually started quite a few arguments because of it. He had respected her choice to still go by "Rogue", but he at least wanted to know what her name was. He couldn't understand her wish to still keep it to herself.

And then the arguments usually had moved onto her friendship with Logan. And how Logan knew her name, but she wouldn't tell Bobby. Rogue frowned, now. Why hadn't she remembered this before?

Because she had been too busy punishing herself for ending her relationship, she realized, for being alone. She had been so busy punishing herself that she had forgotten how frustrated she and Bobby had actually become.

"We just grew apart." She said out loud, testing this new theory. "It wasn't all your fault." She put her brush down, studying her face in the mirror.

She saw herself smile in her reflection as the weight in her chest felt lighter.

Maybe today would be a good day after all, she mused.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: This chapter's a little shorter, but I hope you still enjoy!_

* * *

Rogue sighed as she leaned back in her chair. She stretched her hands above her head as she completed the final section of her paper for Storm's physics class. She was struggling in the class so Storm had given her the chance for extra credit. She was therefore spending her night completing a paper on the history of the subject.

It annoyed Rogue to no end that she was doing so badly. She had always made sure to do well in her classes here, especially since she had missed so much school for the time she had been on the road before she met Logan.

It also didn't help that both Bobby and Kitty were in all of her classes.

And that Kitty was essentially a genius, already in an upper-level science class when she was over a year younger than both her and Bobby. Of course, Kitty was acing the class. And already helping Bobby study to ensure _his_ success in the class.

While Rogue received no help whatsoever.

"Hey Rogue."

She turned and smiled as she saw the familiar form standing in her doorway. "Hey Jimmy," She said, "What's up?" She felt her annoyance fade away as she talked to the eager 14 year old.

"I'm going to watch a movie with some of the others, you wanna come?"

Rogue glanced at the clock on her nightstand, holding back a cringe when she saw it said 9:30 PM. All the X-Men had left an hour ago to try to contain yet another riot near Philadelphia, and she had been left here to baby sit.

"Sure, Jimmy," She sighed, standing. _Might as well so something to take up my time, _she thought. She slung her arm around his shoulder as they walked downstairs. She was surprised how tall he gotten in just about a year, he was almost taller than her. And he was years younger! She didn't notice his smile as she put her arm around him; she was too distracted by the thrill that ran through her as she felt her arm connect with his skin. She was glad this feeling hadn't faded yet. It was still liberating every day. Suddenly, she felt better about not being out with the X-team tonight and she grinned down at Jimmy, chatting with him as they walked.

When they entered the TV room, though, they were met by a group of the younger students gathered around the big screen TV, watching the news.

"Earlier today, the leader of the apparent anti-mutant group was seen making a speech in New York City." The anchorwoman was saying, "Their leader, Graydon Creed, called this group the Friends of Humanity. Creed announced two months ago that he will be running for the Governor of New York and will be using a very anti-mutant platform. " A clip was shown of a middle-aged graying man with glasses, speaking to a large group of people.

"Even with the cure," Graydon Creed was saying, "there are still mutants around us--everywhere we go! They are _proud _of their disease and only wish to infect all of you. Just you wait--soon, they'll be coming to your homes, stealing your children to infect them with their mutant filth--"

Rogue scoffed and grabbed the remote from the boy on the couch, clicking a button to change the channel to cartoons. "That's enough of that," She snapped. All the heads turned toward her. "That crap will rot your brains," She said spitefully, shaking her head.

There was a beat of silence before she heard one of the boys on the floor mumble. "What was that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I said, you're one to talk." She saw one of the younger boys, probably about 11 or 12 stand up. "_You're _the one who actually went and got the cure!"

She felt Jimmy stiffen next to her and felt her stomach tighten. "Yes, but that was my own choice wasn't it?" She said, after a beat, trying to keep her voice calm. "And I'm still here, aren't I?"

Another boy stood, "But you shouldn't be! You're not even one of us anymore!" He said, his fists clenched at his sides. The first boy nodded and stuck his tongue out at her in a ridiculously childish move. He blinked, though, when he saw a regular pink tongue under his nose--not his usual long, blue one. His eyes immediately shot to Jimmy and his face contorted in fury.

"Get out of here!" He shouted, making everyone jump.

"Hey," Rogue said, trying to cut in. "I think everyone just needs to calm down and--"

"_You're _the whole reason mutants are in this mess anyways!" The boy said, ignoring Rogue. "You should just leave with _her--_now that she's _human._"

"Hey!" Jimmy retorted. "I didn't _choose _to have this power!"

"You aren't like the rest of us." The boy spat out, not listening. "You don't deserve to be here."

"Enough!" Rogue yelled as loud as she could, and the room quieted. She put her hand on Jimmy's arm. "I cannot _believe _you," She said, her voice angry. "Are you even listening to yourselves?" She looked around the room at the guilty and angry faces surrounding her. "Do you realize how much you sound like Magneto and his Brotherhood?" She waited a beat, letting that sink in. She turned to leave, but paused before moving. "The Professor would be ashamed of you." She said quietly, shaking her head. "This is supposed to be a _haven _for mutants--a safe place." She made eye contact with the outspoken boy, "For _all _mutants, even former ones."

With that, she turned and walked towards the kitchen, leaving Jimmy to follow if he pleased. She leaned against the counter and forced herself to take deep breaths. Her heart had been racing during that entire event.

It had taken months, but someone had finally said something to her. Finally confronted her. It was different than dealing with the quiet dissapointment from Strorm, or the unspoken awkwardness from the other X-Men. But she had handled it, she had been able to deal with it.She pressed a hand to her fluttering stomach and let the feeling of queasiness pass. After a few minutes, she heard Jimmy walk in behind her.

"Thanks, Rogue." He said, coming up next to her.

"That was for both of us." She replied, taking another breath. "Jimmy, you have to know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with you." She glanced over at him. "I want you to know that. You have a gift. A particularly amazing gift."

Jimmy frowned and was about to speak, but Rogue cut him off. "I know I kind of sound like a hypocrite, but you really do. I chose to give up my gift. That was the right choice for

He looked down at his feet and Rogue nudged his shoulder. "Hey." He glanced at her. "You know Warren? He decided not to give up his gift. That was his own choice, and that was right for him." He nodded, moving his gaze to the floor.

"Do you regret it ever?" He asked, his voice quiet.

"No." She smiled, her answer swift. "Because of you, because of the cure, I can actually touch people. You ended up giving me the best gift I could have ever gotten."

His face lit up, "Really?"

"Mmm-hmm." His smile grew and he nudged her arm.

"You know, it's you and me in this place." His voice was serious, even though he seemed relaxed and nonchalant.

"Don't worry," She said, trying to be just as nonchalant. "They'll come around. After all, _you're _actually a mutant."

There was a pause before Jimmy galnced in the direction of the doorway. "You know, most of them left. They went to their rooms."

"Well, let's go watch some movies, then." She pushed herself away from the counter, leading them towards the TV room.

* * *

Hours later, Rogue woke to chattering voices in the hallway. She craned her neck over the back of the couch to see some figures walk towards the kitchen. She figured the others must be back and tried to sit up, feeling a kink in her neck.

She and Jimmy had watched a couple movies and he had ended up falling asleep with his head on her shoulder. She edged away, making sure to rest his head on the back of the couch before walking away.

The rest of the house was quiet and dark as she made her way into the brightly lit kitchen, which made her blink and rub her eyes.

"Rogue?" Kitty asked, glancing up from looking in the fridge. "What are you doing up?" Rogue blinked at the fact that Kitty was directly addressing her, and it took her a second to answer, flustered.

"Uh, I was watching some movies with Jimmy." She noticed that everyone was in here--Warren, Kitty, Bobby, Peter, Logan, Storm--and ran her fingers through her probably tangled and messy hair.

"Oooh, _Jimmy_." Warren taunted, biting into a sandwich.

"Oh, come on, Warren." She replied, rolling her eyes. "He's 14."

"That kid has a little crush on you, I think," Pete said, chuckling.

"Little? He practically hangs off her everywhere she goes," Logan scoffed.

Rogue rolled her eyes again. "Yeah, ok." She said sarcastically. "We just understand each other. I mean, we're both the outsiders in the whole school."

"You're not an outsider," Kitty said, looking confused, and Rogue could have bitten her lip at her slip. _Way to make sure to hide how out-of-place you feel, Rogue._ She thought to herself.

"We just connect, that's all." She lamely tried to explain. She could feel Bobby's eyes burning into her at her slip up, and she could also see Logan glance at her for a moment before focusing on his beer. "Well, anyways," She continued, desperately trying to change the subject, "something happened earlier you guys should know about."

"An attack?" Pete asked, suddenly worried.

"What? No." She looked at him, confused. "Why would anyone attack here?"

Everyone but Storm and Logan looked angrily at Pete, and he flushed. "Uh, no reason, I guess." He mumbled.

"Go on," Storm said, keeping her gaze on Rogue.

"Uh…'kay." She said, confused. Something was going on that they weren't going to tell her, so she continued. "Well, a bunch of the kids were watching the news and it had some clips of the guy from Friends of Humanity. He, uh, brought up the cure and the mutant 'disease'." She saw Bobby glance at her. "When I turned it off and told the kids it was crap, they turned on me and Jimmy. Two of the boys in particular."

"Who?"

"Ryan and Joey."

"What'd they say?" Kitty asked, standing next to Rogue now.

Rogue glanced at her, surprised at another bold move. "That Jimmy's the reason for all the mutant problem right now and that Jimmy and I don't belong here." She brought her eyes up to meet Logan's. "He said 'You aren't one of us anymore'."

"What?" Kitty shot in, "That's ridiculous! He sounds just like Magneto."

"That's what I said, and I added that the Professor would be ashamed of them." Rogue shrugged. "I knew that would hit a nerve."

"What about the others?" Storm asked, her voice calm even though her face looked angry.

"They just sat there." A voice said from the doorway, making everyone turn.

"Jimmy," Rogue said in surprise, wondering how long he had been listening.

"They all just sat there and let it happen," He repeated in a disgusted voice, walking into the room. "What are you going to do?" He asked, looking at Storm.

"We'll take care of it," She answered, after a beat. "That kind of behavior is unacceptable here." She stood and walked over to him. "You should get to bed, though. It's late and I know for a fact that you have a lot of work to do before our field trip in a week."

He glanced at the group and rolled his eyes, "Alright." He mumbled a goodnight and sighed, knowing it was just a sign to get him out of the room for the _adult talk_.

Everyone called a goodnight and he glanced at Rogue quickly before leaving, which made Warren and Peter snicker. "He really does have the hots for you." Peter said.

Rogue frowned, wondering if they were really onto something. "Oh, leave him alone," She said, feeling embarrassed for herself and for Jimmy. She knew what it was like to have a crush on someone who made a big difference in your life. As she remembered this, she glanced up at Logan, the one person who had always understood her best. "I mean, he's just a kid."

"Well, come on, Rogue, you should come with us to check out the security tape." Bobby sighed, making Rogue blink in surprise. First, he was actually speaking to her, and second, security cameras?

"We have cameras here?"

"Only on this level and the sub-basement. And outside." Pete shrugged.

"Oh."

"Ever since Stryker's attack," Storm clarified. "we keep records."

"I didn't know that." Rogue said, looking around.

"Only X-Men know, for security purposes." Pete said, shrugging again.

"Oh. Right." For some reason, she felt a deep sense of disappointment. "Makes sense." But what about when _she _was an X-Man? She had been one for about a year, was she just not included in these little information sessions even then? She could feel Logan's eyes on her but refused to look at him. He could always see right through her and she really didn't want to be transparent right now.

"Come on, let's go downstairs and check it out." There was a long groan from all the kids and Storm looked at them. "Well fine, then, whoever wants to should, then." At this, everyone looked at each other and sighed, knowing they should all go anyways.

As they walked towards the elevator, Kitty hopped next to Rogue and said quietly, "Hey, we just found out about this, like, a month ago. You weren't totally out of the loop." Rogue gave a small smile, getting used to the idea of speaking to Kitty again, but felt annoyed at herself at the same time. So much for hiding her feelings. Again.


	3. Chapter 3

Rogue yawned as she stood at the counter waiting for her order to come up. In a desperate attempt for a larger paycheck, she had taken an extra shift at the restaurant she worked at. It was a regular low-key, 24-hour diner where people who didn't want to know your name came in and barely looked at you. Perfect place for the girl who didn't want to be remembered.

One of her main issues of finding a job was to make sure she wouldn't lead any trouble back to the Mansion. There was a swelling of anti-mutant sentiment right now, and Rogue didn't want her presence outside of the school to cause any problems. She had been able to convince the manager to pay her under the table, so there was no hassle with social security numbers or anything and she didn't have to split her tips with anyone. It was the perfect place for her.

She had taken this job about a month ago, just after she and Bobby had broken things off. She had needed something, _anything_, to keep herself occupied. So, she had borrowed one of the old cars in the garage that used to belong to Scott and taken a drive out until she found this diner. It had looked dingy, dark, and it had very few customers. It was perfect.

She only found out after she was hired that it actually got pretty busy during the day, and when she had morning shifts she could barely catch her breath. But that was alright, it kept her from thinking. And, on especially long days, like today, she really didn't have much time to think at all.

But today felt different from the rest, perhaps because she had been up until almost 4AM discussing last night with the others. She had been here since 10AM and then had taken an extra night shift when someone called in sick. She was exhausted, she had a headache, and her feet and back hurt like hell. So now, at 8PM, it was already dark outside and she still had an hour left. And, when she got back to the mansion, she was supposed to have an extra session of physical training with Logan. He had discussed it with her last night, saying they should kick the sessions up a notch and begin training more than their usual once a week timeslot.

Rogue frowned now as she thought about this, taking the plates that were handed to her. Everyone was very touchy lately, especially about the safety of the Mansion and of the students. There was something going on that they weren't telling her, and it bothered her that they felt she didn't have a right to know. She may not be an X-Man anymore, hell she wasn't even a mutant, but she was still an adult who helped out a lot in the Mansion whenever they needed it. She was the designated babysitter whenever it called for the occasion. That had to mean something.

She smiled the same strained smile she'd been using since 10AM and handed her customers their food. She held back a yawn as she turned away and wiped her hands on her already dirty white t-shirt. She would have to go shopping again so she could get some shirts that weren't completely covered in food particles and grease. She glanced at the clock and let out a sigh, knowing the last hour would take forever to go by. Glancing out the window, she felt a smile come to her face and she paused as she watched the snow fall.

She always felt slightly at peace whenever she watched the snow. She may be a southern Mississippi girl, but she felt a special connection to the snow. It was why she had wanted to go to Canada in the first place when she was younger. She liked New York, she liked seeing the change of seasons and having the difference in the weather.

"Hey, Kate!"

Rogue turned and saw one of her coworkers leaning over the counter from the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

"It's snowing!" She said, feeling her smile grow. She suddenly wasn't in such a bad mood.

"Shit. And just around Valentine's, too."

"It's great," she said, leaning toward the window again. She studied the picturesque scene outside for a moment before she heard her name again.

"Kate, why don't you get out of here, I'll cover your last hour. You've been here long enough. "

Rogue straightened, feeling the pain in her lower back spike. "Really? Thanks, that'd be great." She smiled and grabbed her tips in the envelope marked "Kate" She had assumed the alias name for the job, still not comfortable with the world knowing her name yet. Sharing her name was a very personal thing, and she couldn't break the habit of hiding that part of her yet. She had told Logan her name, but they had a particularly close relationship, and it meant something to her that he knew her birth name.

"Night!" She called as she jumped down the front stairs. She paused for a moment, letting the cold air wisp around her and feeling the kiss of the snowflakes. She sighed as she let her ponderings pause, raising her head towards the night sky. It was that perfect moment of snowfall when the world is quiet and the only thing you can hear is the snow hitting the ground, if you listen hard enough.

Rogue stood in place, letting herself feel at peace in the dark, snow-filled night, letting herself daydream of the beauty of the evening. As she brought her face up toward the sky, she failed to notice the dark shadow that lurked near the parked cars behind her. She smiled to herself, letting out a small sigh of contentment. This was the time when she felt most at ease and all of her stupid personal problems would fade away from her mind. As she took a step toward her car, the shadow behind her ducked and vanished from view, fading into the shadows.

Rogue continued to her car and got in the seat, yawning and starting up the engine. She flipped on the stereo and turned up the volume, hoping it would help to keep her awake on the half hour drive home. As she pulled out of the driveway, she began to sing along with the song playing and rotated her shoulders to try to loosen up her sore muscles.

She felt the tiredness begin to creep up her spine and into her eyes, but tried to ignore it. She had made this drive how many times in the past month, she knew she could do it tonight. "Ugh, this is so ridiculous." She muttered to herself, rubbing her face with her free hand. "You can stay awake, stop being such a baby."

Suddenly, there was a dark shadow in the middle of the road, and her eyes grew wide as she slammed on the brakes and tried to swerve the car. Her heart pounded in her chest as the music blared from the stereo and the car sat crooked in the road. _Oh, sweet Jesus. _Rogue thought, as she frantically searched through the windshield for the figure she had seen. She opened the door with shaky hands and walked around to the front of the car.

"Hello?" She called out, when she didn't see anything. No person, no animal, not even a tree branch. She frowned, feeling her racing heart still going inside of her chest. Was she just overtired? Seeing things in the road? Maybe it was a deer or something, and had already run off?

As she bent over the front of the car, trying to see if there were any dents or marks, she was unable to see the shadow of a figure creep around the back of the car and rush into the brush on the side of the road. She made her way back to the open driver's side door. She was probably just overtired. "That's what I get for getting no sleep," She mumbled to herself, taking hold of the wheel with her still shaky hands.

The almost-"accident" had effectively woken her up, and she didn't feel tired at all for the rest of the drive back. It did take her almost 20 minutes longer to get home, though, since she forced herself to drive slower than usual just in case there _were_ deer on the road. "Or something." She muttered to herself.

Back at the Mansion, she begged Logan for an extension on the training session. She was afraid he wasn't going to give in, he always tried to still treat her like an X-Man and usually gave her a hard time if she tried to shirk her sessions or duties, but he actually agreed. He knew how late she had stayed up, and he had been surprised when she had taken another shift.

"You're working there too much," He said, glancing down at her.

"I need money," She said, shrugging. "I can't live off the Mansion forever. Plus, what else do I do that takes up my time? Pretty much nothing. I'm not out saving the world anymore."

He frowned and took a moment before answering. "Rogue, I've been meaning to ask you…"

She looked up at him, wondering about his change in character. He had moved closer and looked sympathetically down at her. "What?" She asked, prompting him on.

"You doin' ok?"

Rogue kept her gaze on his face, even though she was surprised. Logan usually stayed pretty detached these days. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Even with seein' Kitty and your Iceboy parade around here?"

"Uh, well--" Rogue stammered, even more surprised now. She thought for a moment, then looked up at him again. "It's hard, y'know," She said truthfully, yet forcing herself to shrug and to try to be light. "But, I was pretty much the one who ended it." She kept her voice even, "So I can't really feel sorry for myself, can I? I brought it on myself."

He brought his hand up and rubbed her shoulder, bringing his arm to hang around both her shoulders. He led them to the staircase. "Ok. And what about you not bein' with the team anymore?"

She felt her stomach clench for a quick moment. "That's hard too. But I'm dealing. It just takes some more getting used to, I guess."

"And how about the fact that you went through it for him, and now you're not even together anymore?"

Man, was he full of questions tonight. Yes, they were close, but these talks were very rare and Rogue was surprised he had so much to talk about at once. "Well, I _did _get it for Bobby. A little." She started, feeling herself frown. She stopped and waited until Logan looked down at her. "But I also got it for me. I mean, Logan, I can _touch _people now." She gave a small laugh. "I can do this." She lifted her hand and grabbed the hand that was dangling from her shoulders. They began to walk again. "That's worth a whole lot to me."

"I just want to make sure you're doin' alright, kid." His brusque voice showed that he was trying to make himself seem like he cared less than he actually did and Rogue smiled.

"I'm doin' alright." She said. "Not perfect, but c'mon…look at where I live. Who here _doesn't _have problems?" Logan gave a small chuckle at that and glanced down at her.

"Well, good."

On the way up the stairs and into the hallway, Logan dropped his hand and they walked side by side, now silent. Rogue cleared her throat before she let herself speak, unsure how to begin. _We're already talking, so might as well keep going._ "So…how are _you_?"

"Me?" Logan looked confused.

"We, we really haven't been able to talk since spring…I didn't know how to bring it up…"

Logan nodded once as he understood and took a moment before speaking. "I'm, y'know, alright."

Rogue looked up at him, slightly disbelieving. "Alright?" She repeated.

"Well, there's good days and bad days." He said uncomfortably, glancing around. Rogue frowned and stopped, touching his arm.

"I know how much she meant to you." Rogue said quietly, looking up at him sadly.

Logan kept her gaze for a moment before he cleared his throat and glanced around again. "Uh, ahem, shouldn't you be getting to bed? Gotta get more sleep so we can actually train tomorrow. You hang out with the X-men, you gotta keep yourself in shape, just in case."

Rogue could tell he was done with the conversation, and tried to ignore the pseudo-warning he seemed to try to give her. She hated all the gloom in this place recently. She nodded and let Logan detach himself from their conversation. She could tell when he didn't want to get too emotional or into anything that was personal for him. "Yeah, I guess." She said, nodding. "Goodnight, Logan."

"'Night, kiddo."

"Wait," Rogue said, taking hold of his arm and pulling him back quickly. She reached up to press a quick kiss to his cheek and wrapped her arms around him to give him a quick squeeze. "Thanks." She said quietly before pulling away.

"For what?"

"For listening. For asking." She shrugged. "It's hard to remember that people care. Sometimes I can feel pretty detached…"

He nodded and looked at the ground for a second before lifting his head up and looking into her eyes. "Well, then, thanks to you too...Marie." She smiled and nodded and he turned and walked down the hallway towards his own room, leaving her to stand outside her own door.

She still had a small smile as she entered her room and plopped herself down onto her bed, without even turning the light on. It had been an exceptionally long time since she had been able to talk to Logan; she forgot how close she felt to him. He always seemed to understand her and know exactly what to--

Suddenly Rogue felt there was something extremely wrong with her room and glanced over to see her window was open and the curtains were flapping in the cold breeze. It was February, why would she leave her window open? She pushed herself up onto her arms to glance around the rest of her dark room and her heart literally stopped as she made it to the far corner near her closet.

Her clothes, as little as there were, were strewn about the floor of her open closet door, and as she moved her gaze left, she could see all of her things on her dresser were pushed around, some had even fallen to the floor. She brought her gaze even more to the left, her heart frozen, as she noticed a shadowy figure standing by the other side of the open window, half-concealed by the flapping drapes.

Her heart moved from its frozen position to jump directly into her throat, making her jump up from her bed.

And scream.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Sorry for the long delay, but I'm actually studying in Europe right now and have been very busy. So, as a reward for your patience--two updates at once! Remember to read and tell me what you think, it helps so much!_

* * *

The commotion during the next 15 minutes could only be explained as absolute chaos. The amount of people that rushed into her room as soon as they heard her scream only added to her confusion and fear. The first one to arrive was Kitty, since she lived right next door and phased through the wall in a second. 

Just as Kitty arrived, the figure had jumped out of the window and disappeared outside. Logan was next, crashing into the room with his claws already bared and his nostrils flared.

"He went outside," Rogue gasped, pointing towards the window. Kitty and Logan ran over to look outside the window as Peter, Bobby, Jubilee and Jimmy came running into the room. Rogue heard Logan utter a curse and practically growl as he jumped outside, despite Kitty's call to him. Jubilee came over to Rogue and began asking questions as more people arrived, standing outside her door, and as Storm finally arrived, running into the room.

"What happened?" The younger girl asked, glancing around. Someone, Rogue didn't know who, had flipped on the light, and everyone was able to see the full disarray of her bedroom. Her things, clothes, keepsakes, pictures, pillows, blankets, were all strewn about her room. Drawers were open and things were half-pulled out of her dresser.

Rogue felt her heart still pounding in her chest and she slumped onto her bed, looking around her room. "What happened? Who did you see?" People kept asking, and Rogue could barely hear who it was with all the commotion outside.

"Alright, Alright," Storm said. "Everyone, get back to bed." She said to the crowd in the hall, taking her position as headmaster. "Everything's fine, just a small scare." She kept her voice calm and immediately started handing out orders. She turned to look around the room and settled on Jubilee. "Jubilee, get them all to bed, make sure their rooms are all ok to be alone in."

The girl nodded and glowed with pride at the task given to her and ushered all of the younger students toward their own rooms. Rogue saw Jimmy ask Jubilee something as she was pushing him out the door, but she didn't really pay attention. Storm closed the door behind them, leaving her, Kitty, Peter and Bobby inside the room.

"What happened?" Storm asked, looking around.

"Um," Rogue said, still feeling very detached. "I just got here, after talking with Logan, and came in, laid on the bed without even turning the light on. I was just thinking for a second, when I noticed the window was open--I mean, it's February. And then I noticed the closet and the dresser, and when I looked back toward the window, I could see someone hiding behind the drapes…" She visibly shuddered. "That-that's when I screamed."

"I saw him jump out the window when I came in through the wall," Kitty offered, her hand on Rogue's back. "Logan could see him running away and went after him."

Storm made a sound of annoyance, but nodded. "Alright. I guess we can see if Logan found anything when he gets back."

"I'll go after him," Bobby offered, "Try to bring him back." Storm nodded and Bobby threw one look at Rogue and Kitty before hopping out the window and creating an ice slide to reach the ground.

"Ok, Rogue," Storm said, touching her shoulder. "You shouldn't stay in here tonight."

"But--"

"You can stay in my room," Kitty offered, nodding at her. Rogue eyed the younger girl for a second before forcing herself to nod. If Kitty suddenly wanted to be friends, then maybe she should try as well? Besides, she _was_ being really nice about offering her room.

"Good." Storm said decisively. "Rogue, you're going to have to tell me everything you can remember about this guy. Height? Build? Could you see anything at all? Did he say anything?"

"I really don't remember seeing anything…"

"Well, come down to the kitchen and think about it. We'll talk there, alright?" Storm began to lead the girl to the door. "Is anything missing? Why don't you take a second to look around real quick, alright?" Rogue nodded without answering, feeling dazed. "Guys," Storm directed at Peter and Kitty, "look around, help her out. See if you guys can find anything."

The two nodded and glanced at each other, after watching Rogue for a moment. Kitty frowned, showing her worry, while Peter looked hesitant and unsure how to proceed.

"When you're all set, come on down to the kitchen, ok, honey?" Storm said comfortingly, placing a hand on Rogue's shoulder. "We'll try and go over it step by step, alright?"

"Ok." Rogue said, still standing in place.

Storm threw a meaningful glance at Kitty before walking out the door, and Kitty could tell that Storm had gone outside to look around for Wolverine and Bobby.

It only took about 20 minutes to clean up the entire room, and Rogue mentioned how nothing seemed to be missing. After rearranging the items on her small dresser, she glanced over at Kitty quickly before turning her head back to her dresser. "Uh, Kitty," She started hesitantly, "There _was _someone in here when you came in, right?"

"What? Of course, Rogue." Kitty said, looking over from her spot by the closet. "Logan and I both saw him jump out the window."

"I just feel so out of it…" Rogue mumbled. "I didn't sleep much last night with the whole tape-viewing stuff…and I worked, what, almost 12 hours today."

"There was defiantly someone in here," Kitty said with purpose. "And we're going to figure it out, don't worry." Rogue nodded and Kitty glanced over at Pete, who was standing by the window. He gave a nod and Kitty cleared her throat. "I think Storm's still waiting for you. We got everything cleared up, so you should go talk to her now."

"Right," Rogue said. "Thanks, you guys. Really." She walked out of the room as if in a daze, heading toward the staircase. She couldn't have imagined it. There _had _been somebody there in her room.

She was half afraid she was just overtired and wanted some attention. Or some adventure. And so maybe she had imagined it.

"Hey, have a seat, Kid."

Rogue felt herself smile just a little when she saw Logan sitting at the table with Storm, and the weight inside her belly relaxed slightly. It didn't even bother her that Bobby was in the room as well, pouring a cup of coffee by the counter. "So," She started, "Did you find him?"

"No, he got a head start on us," Logan muttered gruffly.

"He knew where he was going to get out of here." Bobby said, turning around. "I think he had the whole place mapped out." He meandered over as he spoke, and deposited the mug in front of Rogue, which made her glance at his face quickly before muttering a quiet 'Thank You.'

"We're going to step up security for tonight." Storm said, leaning forward. "Rogue, you're going to have to think really hard. Do you remember anything?"

Rogue frowned as she thought. "He was taller than Bobby, but shorter than Peter." She offered. "I didn't see any facial features or anything. He didn't seem to have any…special features or extremities or anything." She gave the tiniest of shrugs. "Maybe he wasn't even a mutant."

"Then how would he know how to get into _this _school?" Logan asked.

"And get passed our security?" Bobby sat at the table. "I mean, we do have a pretty advanced system."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Rogue agreed. "I just don't understand who would do this?" She wondered. "I mean, who would break into the Mansion, especially now? And why _my _room? I mean, I think I would be the last person anyone would be interested in that lives in this house."

She happened to see Bobby and Logan exchange a quick glance and she sighed, feeling the night's tension begin to build up inside of her. "Ok, what is that all about?" She was beginning to get very annoyed.

"What?" They both asked, forcing an innocent look on both of their faces. Rogue clenched her teeth and studied both of them.

"What is it that's got everyone so worried all of a sudden? What aren't you guys telling me? I mean, I'm not an idiot, I can tell." When no one answered, Rogue looked to Storm and raised her eyebrows, as if to say _'well?', _but Storm only kept her voice calm and only gave her a noncommittal answer.

"Rogue, we're not hiding anything. We're just as surprised about tonight as you are."

She scoffed, "I told you, I can tell. I have lived here for over two years, practically three, and I've been on the team with all of you. I know how you work." When no one said anything, she sighed and stood from her chair, the stress of the past two evenings beginning to boil over. "Fine. Don't tell me. Doesn't matter, I guess. Don't need to share information with the _human. _I'm suddenly very tired. Good Night."

"Hey." She heard Logan say in a reproachful tone behind her and she halted as she made her way out of the doorway and turned back towards him.

"Of all people here," She said quietly, "I wouldn't expect _you _to treat me like this."

"Rogue--" She had already turned and was on her way out the door again.

"Screw you, Logan." She had kept it quiet, practically muttering to herself, but she knew that his sensitive ears would be able to pick it up. She marched up the stairs and into Kitty's room, desperately wanting to slam the door, or stamp her feet, but she knew how childish that was. And how late it was, with students trying to get back to sleep. So she settled for crossing her arms. She knew she needed to calm down. She would never be able to sleep if she were this angry.

As she stood there, the quiet room helped to calm her slightly and she relished in the silence for a moment, before she heard mumblings from the next room, which was her room, actually.

"Oh, thanks, Pete."

"Uh, well--No problem, Kitty." He sounded nervous, his usual sturdy voice slightly shaky. Rogue felt a smile tugging at the corner of her lip. She and Pete had connected in a small way in the past month, since she knew of his crush on Kitty. They had bonded over being miserable. He had been bumbling around Kitty for the past couple months, it was getting on the verge of ridiculous at this point.

"You know, I'm actually really worried about her."

"Well, she's had it hard this whole year." He still sounded nervous. "I mean, she's the only non-mutant in the entire school." Rogue realized who they were talking about and moved closer to the wall, practically laying the side of her face against the wall to listen.

"Yeah, and it's got to be hard to see all of us hang out and have all this time together training and going on missions while she sits around and baby-sits with Jubilee." Kitty sighed. "And the fact that I practically took her boyfriend away." Rogue raised an eyebrow, her interest fully piqued.

"Uh--"

"I mean, I didn't _take _him, per se, but I definitely didn't push him away when he and Rogue broke it off. And then, like, it was just too difficult to try to explain things to him."

"Wait, Kitty, you still haven't talked to him?"

"Well, I haven't had the chance!" She was getting defensive. "First riots all over the place and then this tonight. And then…I just feel so bad." She finished lamely. "I don't know how to break up with someone, I've never done it before. Every time I try to talk about it, I can't follow through."

There was a deep sigh and the creaking of the bed, as if two people had moved to sit on the edge of her bed. Pete's voice: "So you don't even really like him?"

"Well, I _thought _I did." She said quietly, guiltily. "But we're so different. I mean, I'd rather rebuild a computer than play actual computer games. I don't connect with him. Not on _that _level, at least."

"H-How do you think he feels?"

"I think the same way. I don't think he wants Rogue back, I mean, c'mon--they were a train wreck." There was a small chuckle from Kitty. "I think she needs someone who's going to actually fight back with her, if she wants to argue that much."

Rogue let out a small laugh, before she could cover her mouth. She was surprised none of this was really bothering her to listen in on. She was actually beginning to warm up to Kitty. How had this girl picked up on that one fact that Bobby hadn't noticed in the past year?

"Well, Kitty…I was thinking, that, if you wanted, maybe we could…go hang out sometime."

There was a short pause as both Rogue and Peter waited for the answer. "Really, Pete?"

"Yeah, if you wanted," He was getting flustered. "I mean, if you don't, then that's ok…"

"No. No, that'd be fun." There was a pause and Rogue heard the bed squeak, as if one of them were standing. "I'll see you around, Pete. Good night." Rogue could tell from the tone of Kitty's voice that she was smiling and Rogue felt herself smile for the both of them.

Even though she should probably be cursing Kitty right now for, first, aiding in taking Bobby from her, then ditching him for someone else, Rogue just felt happy for the two. Peter had always liked Kitty, ever since she had arrived here, and Rogue had always thought there was something between them. It was going to be interesting in seeing how Bobby would deal with all this. She couldn't hold back her smirk at that thought.

Suddenly, there were footsteps near the door and Rogue rushed to sit on the edge of the bed, trying to pretend she hadn't just listened in on Kitty and Peter's private exchange. She gave a small smile to Kitty as she phased through the door and forced herself to make light conversation.

"Uh--Thanks for letting me stay in here."

"Oh, no problem. You just gotta deal with sharing my bed." Kitty said, smiling at her. "I don't want that guy to come back here and find you in your room again. I don't even know how he got in!" Her face instantly looked a little angry, and that surprised Rogue.

"You alright?" She asked.

"Well, it just makes me so mad." Kitty said, her face pinched. "I mean, we're not a zoo and we're not a threat. We're actually trying to protect people!"

"Yeah, I know."

"I mean, remember how scary it was when Stryker came through here?" Kitty shuddered. "I just…never thought that people hated us that much, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." Rogue nodded. "But, then again, you had it easy."

"What?" Kitty sat on the bed next to Rogue. She sounded a little offended.

"Well, Xavier came right to your house." Rogue explained. "And your parents pretty much are ok with you going to school here with a bunch of classified freaks and learning to help save the world." She glanced out the window at the snow, her eyes guarded. "Some people aren't that lucky."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Kitty mused, climbing under the blankets. She paused for a second before shifting over on her side, facing Rogue. "You should go grab some sleep clothes quick. We've got class in the morning."

"Oh! Right." Rogue went and grabbed some clothes quickly, a small part of her excited that she didn't have to grab a long-sleeved shirt and thick pants. When she had changed and gotten back to Kitty's room, the light was dimmer and Rogue climbed into the bed. Kitty turned off the light and there was silence for a moment before Rogue heard Kitty's voice.

"Rogue?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry you had it so hard. People are really cruel."

Rogue felt her chest tighten at those words and took a second before she answered. "Thanks," She said wholeheartedly. "Night, Kitty."

"Good Night."

* * *

_A/N: I hope this makes sense, I wanted to try to show their friendship actually beginning, and perhaps Rogue (or both of them) growing up just a little and learning to accept each other. Ergo--a little female bonding. Remember to read on, I've added another chapter!_


	5. Chapter 5

The next week passed quickly for Rogue. She spent most of the nights in Kitty's room and began to spend much of her free time with the group. There was barely anywhere in the house that she was not accompanied by at least two other students. They tried to act like they were just hanging around, but Rogue noticed the change in their manner.

It was getting annoying.

And whenever she asked what was going on, no one would give her a straight answer. She eventually gave up asking, dealing with her frustration.

She'd actively avoided both Logan and Bobby since that night a week ago. She was upset with both of them that they kept her out of the loop on purpose, and she knew it was Logan's doing. He was the one who was pressuring the rest to keep her in the dark, to not let her know what the hell was going on. She was avoiding Bobby for the same reason, but mostly because of what she'd overheard between Kitty and Peter. It made her a little nervous to know the details of his relationship, and the fact that his girlfriend was interested in someone else.

Today, thankfully, she had managed to wake up early enough to avoid any followers and went on her usual run. She tiptoed out of the bedroom, being as quiet as possible so she wouldn't wake Kitty. The group had been out late the night before, some super-secret mission, and the younger girl was exhausted. Rogue sighed as she stretched in the early-morning sunlight, ignoring the chill from the cold air and instead focused on the happy sound of the snow crunching under her feet on the path.

She was getting sick of having a crowd of people around her all the time, not letting her think, barely letting her breathe. Enough was enough. She was going to work tonight, by herself, no matter what her _watchers_ said.

She would sneak out like a rebellious teenager if she had to.

* * *

"Where have you been?!" 

Rogue jumped as she opened the front door of the mansion, letting out a small shriek before clutching at her chest and exhaling one annoyed breath, giving Bobby an angry glare.

"You scared me! What the hell, Bobby?"

"Really?" He retorted, his voice low and dangerous. "Well, _you _scared _me._ Disappearing for half the night? We had no idea where you were and your work wouldn't pick up the phone."

She groaned inwardly. Earlier she _had _had to sneak out like a rebellious teenager, hiding in the hallways and borrowing a car to drive to work when she knew everyone was occupied. And now she was being treated like a rebellious teenager…by someone only a few months older than her.

"You couldn't drive there to rationally see if I was earning some money?" She snapped as she began to walk past him, shocked when he grabbed her arm.

"I'm not done." He was practically growling. Dimly, she wondered if he had been taking intimidation lessons from Logan.

Her eyes were wide as she glanced at his hand on her arm. She straightened her spine, trying to stay calm, clenching her teeth and forcing herself to speak quietly. "Well, I am. I've been working for a very long time, and I'm tired."

"I hope you remember it, because you're not leaving this house again for a long time." He snapped.

She let out a derisive laugh, "What? Are you grounding me?" She taunted.

"You damn well know I am."

"Maybe if I knew what the hell the issue was, then I would be a little more careful." She burst out. "_Maybe_ if someone would share information with me, I wouldn't worry you. _Maybe _if someone let this simple, know-nothing human in on what the threat was, she would listen." She tried to yank her arm back, but he held on with an iron grip.

"You have got to drop this 'human' act, you know it has nothing to do with that."

"Oh really? Well, when I was with the X-Men, I sure as hell wasn't excluded from knowing important information. So how about, until you decide to treat me like a real person again, you stay the hell away from me. Now let go."

"Rogue--"

She visibly flinched as he yanked her back, tightening his grip yet again. "You're hurting me." She bit out, staring straight into his eyes. He glanced at his hand on her bare arm, releasing her in a nanosecond, practically jumping back. She resisted the urge to rub her aching arm, not wanting to make this little outburst any worse.

"I'm sorry." He said, after a tense pause. "I didn't mean…"

"What is going on with you lately?" She asked, her voice angry. "First, you want to avoid me at all costs, then you want to be my friend? Protect me? Hover over me like you're my father?"

"I'm not--"

"Yes you are." She cut in. "You want to _ground _me, Bobby. I think that says something." Now she did rub her arm; she didn't care anymore. "Don't take it out on _me_ because you're frustrated with your new girlfriend," She threw in, childishly, before she turned to go up the stairs. She knew it was low, but she couldn't stop herself.

"Hey! You know nothing about me and Kitty."

She sighed, pausing to glance over her shoulder. "You're right, I don't. But I do know that you aren't treating me like a friend, a fellow X-Men, or even like a housemate. You're treating me like a child, just because I don't have powers anymore." Her voice rose and she turned fully around now. "And Ah can't take it anymore. Ah can take care of mahself, even if y'all do plan to keep me in the dark." She could hear her accent slipping through, as her voice rose higher. "Ah don't need your protection."

As she turned to walk back up the stairs, she saw a small crowd gathered at the head of the stairs and she gritted her teeth as she continued to her room. Everyone stepped out of her way and Rogue hated herself for being relieved that both Logan and Storm were not in the crowd. She went to her room and closed the door quietly, successfully resisting the urge to slam it.

There was a soft knock a moment later and Rogue sighed, annoyed. "Go away." She didn't care who it was. How had she ever been upset about breaking up with that boy? God, he was so infuriating. _He thinks he's so high and mighty cause he's a danger room trainer now and he's going to graduate this year. And on top of it, he's Storm's little helper. _She seethed, feeling her anger grow. She could tell that she was over Bobby Drake as of this moment.

"It's Kitty. And Peter." She heard from behind her door, bringing her back to reality.

She paused for a second before throwing her coat on her bed. "Fine."

Kitty phased through the door, pulling Peter through with her. "We just want to make sure you're ok." Peter started, making Rogue grit her teeth.

"Yeah, just great."

"He's just worried," Kitty began, "We all are."

"About _what?"_ She burst out. "I am so sick of being treated like a child because I'm not a mutant anymore."

"Listen," Kitty started, coming closer. "There have been some threats. We don't know for sure who it is, but it could be those Friends of Humanity people. They suspect this is a school for mutants. We think some of the students are being followed and we think it was one of those guys that was in your room that night."

"And I can't handle myself?" She asked, throwing her hands out.

"Of course you can." Peter said calmly, standing still by her door, his arms folded. "Just not like us."

"Well, why didn't anyone just tell me this? I would have been a lot more cooperative."

"Logan…"

"I _knew _it was him!"

"Logan thought you were stressed enough already, with…well, with Bobby and everything." Kitty looked guilty. "He was just trying to make things easier."

"Yeah, great job, Logan." Rogue muttered.

"And you're grades have been slipping and--"

"He _told _you all that?!"

"He's a guy." Kitty said weakly, flinching under Rogue's temper. She looked as if she was trying to come up with anything to say. "Of course he has no idea how to help." She ended lamely. Rogue glanced at her and felt her lip quirk. "All he wants to do is protect, protect, protect. It's that animal instinct he's got." Kitty said, smiling herself. Rogue smirked in response and made herself sit on her bed.

"Yeah, I know. He is like a pack leader." She sighed. "It's just been frustrating, you know? It felt like you all were just treating me like I couldn't handle myself, and that I wasn't worth it to have all this explained to me."

"We were just trying to protect you." Kitty sat next to her. "I mean, you got rid of your powers. Why would you want to be bothered with all our X-Men stuff when you're trying to live a regular life?"

Rogue glanced at her. She had never though of it like that. She had just assumed they were avoiding her, that they didn't want her around anymore. "I'm sorry I've been so childish lately." She shrugged. "I didn't know that's what you guys thought."

"What, did you think we didn't like you anymore?" She groaned when Rogue looked at the floor. "Oh, Rogue."

"I thought maybe you guys resented me, like the younger ones kind of do."

"Of course not!"

"Yeah, I know. I'm an idiot." She paused. "Should I go talk to Bobby?"

"Nah, I will. I think I need to have a talk with him, anyways." Kitty stood, exchanging a glance with Peter, and Rogue hid a smile, avoiding their gaze. "Pete, stay here with her, ok?"

Rogue rolled her eyes, but didn't protest. She'd caused enough gossip tonight. After Kitty phased through the door, Rogue got up and hung her coat up in her closet. "So, Pete." She began, "When you and Kitty gonna get together?"

"Uh--" He started, taken by surprise.

"It's ok, Pete." She laughed. "It's about time she noticed you."

He smiled, looking at the ground. "Yeah, it is isn't it." Rogue laughed and opened her door.

"Alright, so go wait to see if she's back yet." She said, smiling. "I'll be fine," She added when he paused. "It's about time I be a big girl and sleep in my own bed."

He chuckled. "Alright, good night."

"Night, Romeo." He threw her a look as he made his way to the staircase and she smiled to herself, excited for him. And excited for Kitty. It was about time they realized their attraction. She closed the door and got changed into more comfortable clothes, getting ready for bed. She had been up for what felt like a full day. It was getting onto 2:00 AM.

She heard footsteps in the hallway, that paused in front of her door and she sat up as the shadow under her door stood still. She frowned as she stood and opened the door to Logan, who blinked at the sudden opening of the door. "You're up." he said lamely, and she raised her eyebrows.

"Mm-hmm," She answered.

"Listen," He started, walking into the room. "I know that you've been frustrated lately, especially with me. But I was just trying to make it easier for you. We didn't know if there was actually a threat, and I didn't want to make you paranoid. You've been working so hard to try to disconnect yourself from here, from the mutant life, that I didn't want to give you more reason to cling to us--to cling to Bobby and see him and Kitty together."

She sat on the edge of her bed and looked into his eyes. "It's alright," she said simply. "Kitty explained it to me, and I understand why you did it." He sat next to her and she sighed. "It's just--once you told me that you weren't my father, that you're my friend." He nodded slowly. "So, I would appreciate it if you remembered that once in a while, and treated me more like your friend than someone you have to take care of."

He glanced at her, a small smile on his lips. "But I _do_ have to take care of you. I promised, remember?" His voice became tender and he kept her gaze.

She smiled back, remembering. She nodded, giving in. "I guess it's the thought that counts, then…"

He chuckled, still smiling that half-smile at her. "Yeah, well, you should get some sleep." He stood. "Storm and I have to go out."

She was about to ask questions when she decided to let it drop. It was already too late, and she didn't feel like getting frustrated again. "Ok, good night, Logan."

"Night, kid." He said, squeezing her shoulder.

She yawned as she climbed into her bed and snuggled against her pillows.

An hour later, she was still laying with her eyes open and sighed in frustration as she sat up and threw on a sweater. She figured she was hungry, she'd barely eaten anything at work and that was probably keeping her up.

She shivered as her bare feet touched the hardwood floor, but dealt with it as her fleece pajama pants and zip-up sweater began to warm her. She liked not having to wear something on every extremity at all times, so she didn't mind her feet being a little chilly right now.

She made her way to the kitchen and yawned as she flicked the light on.

And let out a scream.

The dark figure in the corner jumped as the light turned on, dim at first, increasing in light little by little. As the room was still dim, the figure moved to run through the doorway. Rogue gasped as the figure tried to push past her, shoving her against the doorframe. She reacted instinctively from her numerous training sessions and grabbed his arm, using all her strength to swing him back into the kitchen. He must have been caught by surprise and grunted as his back hit the other doorframe and she used the heel of her hand to hit his nose--a classic defensive move.

He cried out and Rogue pulled her arm back to punch him in the gut, making him bend over, but he recovered quickly and rammed himself against her, making her yelp as her back hit the doorframe again. He grabbed her arms in a vice-like grip, so she kicked her foot out, catching him in the shins.

Her bare feet didn't do much, but she kept kicking and eventually aimed high enough, hitting a sensitive spot, causing him to drop, a strangled cry coming from his throat. He only tightened his grip on her arms, his hands squeezing in pain, so she stumbled to the ground with him as he fell. She yanked her arm away, grunting as she brought her elbow down onto his back, making him groan while he coughed.

"Rogue!"

She glanced up, letting out a cry. "Kitchen!" Bobby, Jubilee and Jimmy came running around the corner.

"What the…" Jubilee said, halting in front of her.

The figure moved to get up, suddenly full of energy and shoved Rogue off. Bobby threw his hands out, full of determination and when nothing happened and he glanced at his hands, confused. He looked to his side, and Jimmy instantly looked guilty.

At the same time, Rogue tried to trip the man, while Jubilee glanced at Jimmy, letting out an annoyed sigh. She moved to jump at the figure, but he moved too quickly, sidestepping her and pushing her towards the wall, making her crash and stumble. He shoved Rogue down, making her lose her balance and crack her head on the floor as she fell.

Through the fuzziness of her head, she heard Bobby curse and glass shattering as the assailant threw himself through a window, running outside. "Are you ok?" Jubilee asked, bending to help Rogue up.

"Ughhh," She groaned, holding her head. "I think so."

"I'm sorry." Jimmy said, "I just wanted to help. I-I didn't mean to cause a problem."

"Rogue," Jubilee continued, ignoring Jimmy, "Was he after you?"

"No…" She mumbled, keeping her eyes closed. "I just walked in on him. I think I startled him."

More feet came running, and she heard Kitty's voice. "What happened?"

"Someone was here again," Jubilee said, trying to support Rogue as she stood. "She walked in on him." Because of her state, Rogue couldn't see Kitty's expression from this comment, nor could she see Jubilee's answering one; all she knew was that now Jimmy was rambling.

"I came to help, but then Bobby and Jubilee couldn't use their powers to stop him, so he got out the window. Bobby went after him, but I don't know if he got him…"

"Where are Logan and Storm?!" Kitty snapped, moving to help hold the shaky Rogue up as well, when she was pushed aside by Peter.

"Here," he said, effortlessly picking her up and carrying her to a chair in the kitchen. A cold cloth was placed on her head and a glass of water was in front of her as the others talked. She couldn't really hear much of it, except when there was a simultaneous gasp that forced her eyes open.

Against the far wall was a message scrawled in red paint, that looked as if it was written hastily, and there was still a paint can and brush on the floor.

The message read: "Mutant Containment Equals Human Protection."

* * *

_A/N: I'm new at action/fight scenes, so any advice would help in trying to figure out how to successfully write them (as there will be more, I promise) would be a great help so I can make them better. Thanks!_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Sorry this update took so long, but I've actually just returned home so hopefully the updates will come at a faster rate now. Thanks for being so patient and enjoy!_

* * *

Rogue sighed as she punched in the security code for the entrance to the garage from the subbasement. The security codes had been implemented the day after the vandalism, and now there was restricted access to every level of the mansion unless you knew the codes.

After Bobby had lost the assailant on the grounds, it was discovered that the outside of the mansion had been vandalized as well with numerous slogans. It had taken almost a week to wash it all off, and now the maximum security had been going on for two more weeks. Everyone was getting frustrated with each other under the stress. She was excited to finally be able to--

"And just where do you think you're going?"

She sighed as she turned and saw Logan bending over a broken-apart motorcycle, his hands greasy.

She ran her hand through her hair nervously, "Work." She answered lamely, feeling defeated.

He sighed, annoyed. "You know that all students are under house arrest."

"Nothing's happened in three weeks." She answered. "Logan, they're not even offensive attacks. They're just trying to scare us."

"We have to keep the school safe."

"It _is _safe. You know it is." She glanced around the garage, trying to avoid his gaze. "This whole place is full of plenty of people who are walking weapons."

He straightened and walked over, wiping his hands on the rag over his shoulder. "Listen, kid," He started, "These people mean business. We were worried about them long before they came inside of here, and now they've been able to do it, twice. Who knows what they'll do if they get in again."

"I'm going crazy in here, Logan."

"Did you ever think that maybe they found us by following you?" He asked quietly. "You used to go to work a lot, and you're pretty hard to miss, with that hair." She felt her stomach churn as she considered this. Could they have used _her _to get here? Had _she_ put everyone at risk?

"I didn't even consider it." She answered slowly.

"This isn't just about you," He continued. "There are young kids here that shouldn't have to deal with all this yet. This place is supposed to be a place where they're free to be who they are, remember?"

She nodded, feeling wave after wave of guilt wash over her. "Do I feel awful," She said wryly.

"None of us considered it until a couple days ago, kid," he said. "But you really shouldn't be leaving right now." He turned her towards the door. "And, if you wouldn't mind…"

She glanced at him, "Yes?" She knew what was coming.

"Some of us are going to check something out. We may have a lead on whether or not it's Creed and his people who did this. There are a couple other groups who may have been involved. We were wondering if you and Jubilee would stay here to watch the younger ones."

"I thought no one was supposed to leave." She replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Official X-Men business."

"Right." She said, accepting her task.

He paused before adding more. "And Kitty and the Tin Man are goin' out for some dinner, but they should be back early enough to keep watch as well."

She managed to hold back a smile. "But what about it being so dangerous here? And being on guard all the time?"

"Bobby offered to stay behind and keep an eye on the mansion. He'll be doing routine rounds of the entire grounds and the house. Plus, Kitty and Colossus are trained X-Men. We know they can handle themselves."

"Alright, fine." Rogue gave in, thinking it was strange Bobby had offered to stay behind. He usually never wanted to miss out on the action of missions. She held back a grin, figuring it had to do with Kitty and Peter. The planned break up had happened about a week and a half ago, and so far there hadn't been too much tension within the Mansion. Or at least, not nearly the level that existed when _she _and Bobby had broken up.

"I guess money doesn't matter anyways." She mumbled as they made their way upstairs. Logan stopped at the subbasement and she continued to the main floor. Jubilee and Bobby were already cleaning up from dinner and she went to help dejectedly, loading the dishes into the dishwasher.

Hours later, after two movies and after everyone had gone to bed, Rogue and Jubilee sat in the TV room, the light flickering from the television. "Where'd Bobby go?" Jubilee asked, yawning.

"On a round of the grounds," Rogue answered, "He should be back soon."

"I wish he would've let me go with him," She pouted. "I hate how they treat me like a child."

Rogue smiled. "Well, you had to stay in here and protect little ol' me."

"Yeah cause you can't protect yourself." Jubilee answered sarcastically. "I saw you kick that guy's ass, you had him down."

"Well, thanks." She smiled at the other girl. "At least someone gets that I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, and I just wish the males in this group wouldn't think us females can't contribute."

"They just worry. Believe me, I know." She answered wryly.

The screen flickered as Jubilee switched through the channels and stopped on an old Looney Tunes cartoon. "I used to watch these all the time at my foster parent's house. My favorite was Daffy."

"Oh come on, Wiley Coyote all the way."

"Please--"

Suddenly there was a crash from the front of the mansion, and both girls jumped, looking at each other. They moved as quickly as possible to the front door, surprised to see it fully intact. "What was that?" Jubilee asked, her voice nervous. There was silence, and Rogue glanced around.

"Bobby should have been back by now," her voice wavered.

"Do you think it's them? Oh, man, this is--"

"Shh!" Her heart was pounding. "Ok, Jubilee, I want you to stay in here. You have to make sure the kids are ok." She took the younger girl by her shoulders. "Go and check the rooms, rally anyone who could help if there's a problem."

"Like who?"

Rogue rolled her eyes, "I don't know--Siren, and the others! Use your head!" She gripped the girl's shoulders. "I'm going to look for Bobby. He should be right outside."

"You can't go out there alone!"

"You know Bobby," Rogue said with forced lightness, "He's probably making an ice sculpture and screwing around. There's probably nothing wrong. I'm just gonna go grab him to get him inside, so we can feel better. Alright?"

Jubilee nodded, "Uh huh, sure." She looked apprehensively up the stairs. "Why don't we just do both together?"

Rogue shook her head. "We have to make sure the kids are alright. You have something to protect them with, just in case. Don't worry. I'll be right back." She turned towards the door and opened it slowly, glancing out the small crack and searching the blackness outside as well as she could. "Lock the door behind me." She muttered over her shoulder. "I know the code back in." Jubilee nodded vigorously and Rogue shut the door behind her.

The air was cold and the snow was fresh on the ground as she glanced around the front yard. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, except she could hear her heart thumping in her ears. "Nothin's wrong," She murmured to herself, "He's probably jus' in the back."

She made her way around the grounds, staying as close to the house as she could. Her footsteps were crunching in the fresh snow, and she wished she had grabbed a sweater or coat or something--it was freezing. As she went towards the back, near the gardens and the fountain, she felt her nervousness grow. Where was he? Had he already gone back inside? Maybe he was in the subbasement, and hadn't told them?

Suddenly, she remembered that if he were in the subbasement, he would be able to see her from the cameras located around the grounds. She quickly moved to the porch balcony, glancing up above the glass doorway leading into the mansion to try and find the small camera.

Her heart stopped in her chest as she glanced up, seeing the small camera was smashed and hanging limply from a wire, precariously swinging in the cold wind. She shivered and turned quickly, breathing faster. "Bobby?" She called nervously. She walked a little into the gardens, near the memorial stones and called out again, "Bobby!" She could feel herself beginning to panic as she tried to see in the dark night, when she saw a lump near the main memorial stone in the garden. She gasped as she ran towards it, bending next to the still form the was half-sprawled across Professor Xavier's memorial.

"Bobby!" She touched his cheek, relieved when it was still warm. She shook him and tried to wake him, noticing the blood on the snow near his head. Gingerly, she lifted his head and saw a nasty gash on the very back of his skull, which made her breath catch and a wave of panic wash over her.

Someone had done this to him.

There was someone on the grounds.

And they were willing to hurt the students.

She stood immediately, glancing around her in every direction. She tried to take deep, calming breaths but it didn't work and she ended up gasping as she tried to think. She needed to get him inside. Should she get Jubilee, or just try on her own?

She had to call Logan, Storm, anyone, and get them back here. There were people trying to get into the school. This wasn't stopping at vandalism. With her heart in her throat, she bent to try to drag Bobby as far as she could. She grunted as she tried to pull him, getting only a few feet before having to stop. _Guess I'm not as strong as I thought_, she figured and let out a small whimper of frustration. She had to get him inside!

From behind her, she heard the quiet crunch of a foot stepping into the snow and she spun around, seeing a dark figure next to the side of the balcony. It looked like it was holding something like a shovel. Her heart leapt into her throat and she tried desperately to tug Bobby again, whimpering. "Please, Please. Bobby, wake up."

The figure began to walk, moving closer and she let out a tiny sob, feeling her confidence of the other night fail her. This person…this _thing _had a weapon. And all she had was an unconscious X-Man. She glanced around and saw nothing that would help her, making her panic rise. "Who are you?" She cried, her voice giving away her fear.

"We're here to help." The figure answered, his voice deep and hard. "We just want one thing."

"And what's that?" She retorted, feeling braver, remembering that she had been an X-Man once. She had kicked one of their asses before, she could do it again. She didn't train with Logan for nothing. She felt herself grow steadier and put Bobby's shoulders gently back on the ground. There was nothing to do but fight her way out of this.

"You."

The dark figure moved closer and Rogue felt her stomach clench at the one word. She threw caution to the wind and took off in the direction of the mansion, the man following close behind, dropping his shovel. She swerved to try to jump onto the balcony, but misjudged the height and ended up hanging off the railing. She could hear him coming closer and tried to pull herself over, groaning with her own weight. She let out a shriek as she felt him grab her legs, causing her to flail them out and kick them away, pushing with all her might against his chest. He stumbled back, but still had a good hold on her ankle, pulling her down with him.

She jumped up as soon as she could, feeling the intense cold of the snow hit her bare arms, the wetness beginning to seep into her thin clothes. Clumps of snow were sticking in her hair, but she ignored it.

He pulled himself up, covered in bits of snow. She moved to swing her leg in a high kick but he grabbed her leg mid-air and pushed her down to the cold ground. She rolled and kicked her other leg up, trying to catch his knee, but he jumped onto her, pinning her down.

"You don't need to fight, girl," He snarled. "Or else we hurt more of your _mutie _friends." He glanced up to the balcony, making Rogue look too. There was another figure standing on the balcony now, with a small body slung over his shoulder, clad in a yellow jacket. She gasped, "Jubilee." She glared at the man on top of her, his face unshaved, and his eyes dark. "What do you want with us?!"

"Just you, really." He said nonchalantly, "She's collateral." He stood and yanked her up roughly, making her arm ache. She glanced over towards the garden and saw Bobby's still form begin to move. She let out a quick breath, but then saw yet another figure emerge out of the shadows and lift what looked like another shovel high in the air.

As he swung it down, a scream burst out of her. "Bobby! Bobby!" The man in front of her let out a small curse and swung his hand, connecting with her cheek and making her head spin as she stumbled.

"Shut up." He muttered and she gasped as tears came to her eyes from the sharp pain. They were going to take her, she realized. They had come here for _her. _She whipped her head back and with a fierce cry she lunged at him, attaching herself to him to try to hit him in any place she could. She wouldn't go down without a fight, she would stay strong like an X-Man, like the X-Man she had been trained to be.

She felt another hit to her face, making her stumble again, yet she jabbed her foot forward, hitting her assailant in the gut and trying to move away. If she could get inside, she could call--

Suddenly, there was a sharp kick to her back and she was sent flying forward toward the stone porch, smacking her forehead on the hard surface, making her cry out before everything instantly went black.

* * *

_This was one of my favorite chapters to write, so any feedback will be greatly appreciated!_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Sorry for the long delay again, I had to build up some suspense...haha. This one's kind of short, but I hope you still like it. Remember to respond/comment/give advice/whatever, I'm all for it! Thanks!_

* * *

Her head hurt.

That was the first thing Rogue noticed as she became aware of herself. She let out the smallest of groans as she tried to open her eyes.

The second thing she noticed was that everything else hurt as well.

When she did get her eyes open, she saw that she was laying on a cold, cement floor. This was not her room. Nor was it even the mansion. Her clothes were damp and cold, including her thin sneakers and her socks. There was a thin blanket thrown over her, which really wasn't helping much.

She groaned as the dim light hanging from the ceiling managed to hurt her eyes. She put a hand to her head, feeling a tender, and very large, bump on her forehead, with dried blood surrounding it. She touched her cheek, tenderly feeling a bruise along her cheekbone.

She wondered and she slowly sat up, dragging the blanket around her shoulders, wincing at the sharp pains that shot through her head at each movement. She noticed there was a small window high up in the ceiling, and she figured she must be in a basement. There was dim light coming in through the window, and she guessed it was about twilight. 

She frowned as she tried to recall the last thing happening to her, when she remembered Jubilee. They had been babysitting. Bobby had stuck around too--_Bobby!_--he had been in the gardens, bleeding! And there were men all over the grounds, they had Jubilee too! _"Just you,"_ the man had said. They had only wanted her, and had taken Jubilee to make her cooperate. She shivered, feeling the dampness sink into her skin and realizing she only had a t-shirt on. No sweater, no jacket. She knew she had been out in the snow last night, what had she been thinking?

She forced herself to stand now, grunting as she noticed her ankle felt tender. She had a vague sense of fighting one of the men, but she couldn't remember the details. She glanced around the room now, the dim light making it barely visible, with the darkening evening not helping. With a quiet gasp, she glanced outside, it was definitely getting darker outside. She hobbled over to the window, standing on the tips of her toes to look out. She remembered fighting in snow, fighting a figure that was in shadows, hard to see. When she was at the mansion, it had been in the middle of the night! How long had she been knocked out, then? And what did Logan and the others think about her missing? Were they worried? Had they found Bobby? What if he was unconscious just as long as she had been--what if they weren't back yet? He could freeze to death!

There was a creak as the wooden door began to open, and she spun around to face it, feeling nervous. A middle-aged, heavyweight man entered, dragging a stool behind him. He grunted as he closed the door and settled himself on the stool. He looked at her for a moment in silence and she stared straight back, her arms wrapped around herself. After another moment of silence, she began to get annoyed and lifted her shoulders. "Well?" She snapped.

"Well…"

"What do you people want with me?" She cried, clenching her fists. The man just sat there and smiled a creepy half smile, pausing before he answered.

"We just wanted to get you outta that house."

"What?"

"We know what it is." He sneered. "We know what everyone in that place is."

"It's a prep school, you idiot." She snapped, sticking to the regular story. "I'm just a student."

"It's full of mutants." He retorted. "You call that normal?"

"Well, I can tell you for sure that I am not a mutant. I have no special powers." She answered, trying to sound dismissive. Like a spoiled prep school brat.

"Well, your friend isn't singing the same tune. She's just trying to get herself outta here." He chuckled. "She's makin' a real party over in her area."

"What have you done to her?" Her heart jumped in her throat.

"Oh, nothing'. Don't worry yer little head," He smiled that disgusting smile again. "We ain't hurting her."

"I want to see her." She straightened her back. "Take me to her." He let out a derisive laugh and she frowned. "Why do you want me? Just tell me!"

"Now, you're gonna need to calm down." He said, keeping his voice calm. "Or else I'm not gonna tell you nothing." She took a deep breath and gritted her teeth, waiting. He grinned. "Good girl." He settled himself onto the stool better and let out a grunting sigh before beginning. "Well, we've been following you for a while, now. Seein' you go back and forth to work and hanging around that school."

She waited as he took another pause, frustrated at his slow speed. The door creaked open again and a middle-aged woman stepped into the room, carrying a tray of food. "Oh, good, you've already started. Here, dear, I've brought you some food." The woman bent and placed the tray on the floor by Rogue's feet, but Rogue didn't move. She glanced warily at the two of them. "Well, continue, hon." She prodded the man, who gave her a smile.

"An' well, we began to notice how you're the one that's always around. Usually, by yourself." He cleared his throat. "You don't seem to go out as much as your friends in their favorite black leather suits." She felt her stomach jump, but forced herself to keep her expression solid at this. He could just be talking out of his ass, he could know nothing. "We figured there must be something different about you. You're not like the rest. You're normal." Rogue felt a shiver run through her at the words she had repeated to herself all year, but they sounded so different, so dark coming from him.

"So, we sent someone to check out your room." He continued. "Sadly, though the guy had a few drinks before he went up there, so he more made a mess than did any actual looking." She let out a frustrated sigh. It _had _been them. "He actually hurt himself real bad tryin' to get outta there. That's a pretty far fall from yer window, hon." She only glared in response. _Good,_ she though angrily.

"And," He continued, "when we realized those circus freaks were gonna surround you 24-7, we figured we'd do something to send you a message. Let you know that we would help you get out of there."

"So we sent another to show you that there were others out there who could help you. That you don't belong in that…" The woman interjected, her voice sounding calm and genuine.

"In that _freak show" _The man spat.

"And then you sent people to fetch me." She said quietly, continuing the story. "To show me the light."

The woman looked excited, and smiled. "Yeah. You're regular. We can get you into a real school, and help you escape from them. You don't have to stay with them anymore, whatever you're running from--boyfriend, father, husband--we can keep you safe."

Rogue could barely get a sound out of her mouth, she was so surprised. "Uh--"

"Now, I know that it's scary running from something, honey," The woman cooed, stepping closer. "Believe me, I know. But it's ok to move to other people who can really help you." The woman smiled, clasping her hands together.

She though dumbly. "Just because those people scare you doesn't make it ok for you to vandalize their house, break into their house and hurt the kids--the _kids_--who live there." She started, her voice shaky. "We're students. And you hurt that boy in the snow…I saw him bleeding." 

The woman blinked and turned towards the man, and he grunted. "They're freaks of nature…not even human."

"Just because something's different than you doesn't make it ok to hurt it!" Rogue burst out, feeling her throat tighten. "Mutants are still people."

The man straightened. "Are you…one of _them_?"

"I don't have any powers," She said again, her voice weaker this time. As she said the words, she felt a pang in her belly, feeling as if she were betraying all of her friends.

"Then why are you defending them?" He asked, annoyed.

"Because they don't deserve the treatment you people do to them." Her voice was tense, "They are _people_. I want nothing to do with you. I want to get my friend, and I want to go."

There was a long pause and the man touched the woman's arm, and she turned to go out the door. The man stood when they were alone. "We're not letting you leave, _Mutie lover_." He sneered. "Now that we know you feel this way, that must mean they feel the same about you." His eye sparkled. "And we can hold you over their heads. Maybe even get a couple more…students, and hold them here too."

"What is wrong with you people?!" She cried, stepping forward. "They're just kids, it's a school!"

He just sneered again and turned to open the door. With a frustrated growl, she rushed toward him, ready to try to break out, to go find Jubilee and head home, but he just turned and threw his weight at her. He grabbed her arm and twisted it, sending a sharp pain straight through it. He kept twisting, so hard that for a moment she honestly thought her bone would snap. She cried out and stumbled down to one knee. "It'd be in your best interests, girl," He growled. "To behave." He shoved her to the floor and went out the door, slamming it on his way out.

She cradled her arm as she scooted to sit up against the cold wall. She groaned as she rubbed the aching part of her arm and held back tears of frustration that felt like they were going to spill out of her eyes. She had to stay strong. She had to figure out a way to get her and Jubilee out of here. They had to get back to the mansion.

She sat shivering against the wall, her arm throbbing. She had to find a way out of this, she used to be an X-Man, damn it! As the hours of the night passed she felt her confidence swell and disperse with every thought. She had no idea what to do. There was no way to contact the Mansion, or the others.

She had no idea where Jubilee was, or if there were other mutants being kept here.

And as far as she could tell, she had no way out.

* * *

Logan growled as he ran through the Mansion, panting as he took the elevator to the subbasement. "Logan!" He heard Storm call as the doors closed and he ignored her, practically running to the infirmary to see Kitty standing over Bobby's body on the table.

"What happened?"

Kitty glanced up at the sound of the ferocious voice, and Bobby turned his head to the side, his face flinching at the pain the movement brought to his head. "You're back," She started, but he held up a hand cutting her off.

"Your tin man just told me what happened." He said curtly, walking over to stand over Bobby. "How did they sneak up on you?"

He groaned, trying to sit up. "I don't know. I was by the Professor's memorial, when I heard something, and when I turned, someone hit me across the face. It took me by surprise." He grunted as he rubbed his temple. "I hit my head on the memorial when I went down, and then everything went black. He must have hit the back of my head when I tried to get back up or something. The next thing I knew was waking up to Peter and Kitty in here." He looked guiltily at the two of them. "Did we find them yet?"

"They're not in the Mansion." He said, frustrated.

"They must have taken them." Kitty's voice was quiet.

"How could you let your guard down?" Logan's harsh voice made Bobby jump. "I can't believe you let them take the girls. Rogue can't even defend herself!"

"Hey--" Kitty started, but Logan waved her off.

"You know what I mean. Jubilee can shoot living fireworks at them, but what can Rogue do? Try and fight them? How many of them are there? Where is she being kept? Have they already killed them and thrown them on the side of the road?"

"Logan." Kitty said, her face pained. "Enough. God."

"Sorry." He said after glancing at her face, obviously uncomfortable.

"We have to find them." Bobby said. "They have to be nearby; those guys have been here three times now."

"Damn it, I wish we had someone to help us find her." Logan cursed, remembering when the Professor had sensed Rogue at the train station, using Cerebro to help them find her.

"Logan," Storm came rushing in, with Peter behind her. "We found something," She gestured for him to follow to the camera room and hit a couple keys. "Kitty and Pete were able to connect some of the wires back up outside, and they apparently filmed a few seconds before the wires snapped and cut out." A scratchy black and white image filled the screen in front of them, grainy and snowy. Logan squinted as he leaned closer as the video played. "Pete managed to get the video working."

He could make out a small figure in the snow, her dark hair flying as she moved, unmistakable white streaks mixed into her hair. She was struggling to try to run towards the balcony by the back of the house, and a larger form yanking at her feet, pulling her to the ground roughly. She moved to swing her leg in a high kick, but her awkward footing in the snow didn't help and her leg was grabbed mid-motion and again she was pushed down. Even though she tried to keep fighting, he pinned her down. "You don't need to fight, girl," they heard, "Or else we hurt more of your _mutie _friends."

"Wait," Peter said, leaning close as well. "Play that part again."

They went through the last part, where the man spoke and Pete drew in a long breath. "I recognize that voice." He said, glancing at the other two. "I know that voice."

"From where?"

"The diner where Rogue worked. He was there whenever we would go visit her. I remember his voice, he was always trying to flirt with her. She pointed him out to us a couple times, cause he annoyed her but tipped really well."

"She must not have been able to see his face in the dark," Storm murmured.

"And why would someone from the diner come here?" Logan said, nodding.

"They've been tracking her." Peter said, realization dawning. "At least since January. _She's_ been who they've wanted."

Logan kept his gaze on Peter's face, every muscle tensed. "So how are we gonna find them?"


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Again, sorry for the long delay, but I've just returned to school and have been trying to get settled. Now, this was another of my favorite chapters to write, so please let me know what you think. It really helps so much! So go ahead, read on and then respond!_

* * *

_The night air was cold on the boat as she sat chained, her heart beating in her chest. The man who had taken her was standing above her, watching her with a level gaze and grinning. Her heart froze in her chest as she saw him smile and glanced at the other towards her right. His companion's black eyes were chilling and he growled, baring his fangs. She forced herself to keep her face blank and glanced at her captor again, coming to a realization as she looked at his face. He had turned his head to look out the window, lost in thought as he made a small speech to himself while staring at the majestic Statue of Liberty towering above them._

_"Are you going to kill me?" She interrupted, her voice level. She knew she was too young to hear this information, but she asked anyways. She looked up into his face, staring him in the eyes as he answered. Her stomach clenching when she heard his answer._

_"Yes."_

Rogue gasped as she snapped awake. The sunlight was streaming into the small room, offering just a little bit more brightness to her special cell. She had been drifting in and out of sleep all night long, not wanting to sleep, but her head had hurt so much that she had needed to rest her eyes. Therefore, since she had stayed sitting all night long, she had a cramp in her neck and her back was aching from sagging against a stone wall all night.

Her feet still felt damp, although her clothes had dried almost all the way, so she was slightly more comfortable. She wasn't sure how many days she had been here, her sleep schedule was off, but she figured it was at least three, if not four, days of being in this holding cell. There was one thought that had kept running through her head all night long that had contributed to keeping her awake.

It was her fault these people had targeted the mansion. She had been noticed somewhere, at work, just out and about, and they had tracked her to Xavier's school. A place that was rumored in the area to be a mutant school, although this had never been proven.

But they had followed _her. _If she hadn't gotten a job somewhere, if she weren't trying to live the life of both a mutant student and a regular teenager, the Mansion would still be safe. There would be no actual attacks on the one place that was supposed to guarantee safety to mutants.

And if she just went back there, if she escaped and went back to her life in the Mansion, then these people would just keep persisting and trying to take her back.

This was all her fault. And she had no idea how to make the situation any better.

"Hello?!" She heard, making her jump. "Anyone? Is anyone there?"

Rogue perked up. "Jubilee?"

"Rogue!"

"Oh, thank God!" She cried, stumbling to stand and hobbled over to the wall that seemed closest to the voice she was hearing. "Are you alright?"

"They had me upstairs, and I tried to fight back, but they were too strong…" Rogue heard tears in the girl's voice and swallowed.

"Shh, it's ok. Don't worry. We are going to get out of here."

"How?"

"Logan and everyone else are probably killing themselves trying to find us right now, and…you know, we're X-Men! We can figure this out." She tried to hide her nervousness. 

"Rogue…"

"Listen, I _was_ one, and you're practically one already." She cut in. "We can do this."

Jubilee groaned, obviously frustrated. "I wish Kitty were here." She whined.

"What?" Rogue had the slightest, most ridiculous sense of jealously.

"She could just phase through and get us out of here."

"Oh. Right." She rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. "God, I wish they would get here already."

"What if, if they aren't?" Jubilee said quietly, after a short pause.

"What?"

"What if they don't know we're missing? What if they're not back yet? Logan disappears for days at a time sometimes."

"Jubilee, they _have _to come." She said desperately.

"_We _don't even know who these people are, Rogue! They could be following Creed, they could be their own sect…we don't know." She could hear the tears in the younger girl's voice and felt her throat close up.

She took a deep breath, swallowing hard. Jubilee was right. Suddenly, the events of her dream came back to her. It had been about that day at Liberty Island, when Magneto and his cronies had taken her. She hadn't been able to fight back, and had accepted what was going to happen to her. All she had managed to do was yell for help, when it was too late.

She wasn't going to let that happen again. She had been taken this time, even more powerless than before, but she was going to fight to the end if she had to. She gritted her teeth as she remembered that, for all they knew, the X-Men _weren't _coming. That just meant that she and Jubilee were going to have to handle this themselves. "Ok, Jubilee," She started, feeling her heart begin to pound. "We're on our own. We're going to have to take care of this ourselves."

"What?"

"Not right now." She lowered her voice. "It's ok, not right now. We're going to get some sleep, stay fully energized for when we're going to do this." She paused. "Late at night, tonight. When they're going to be asleep."

"I can--I can probably get the door down, if I rest."

"Yeah, and then we can get my door down, and just take them out."

"Ok."

"Now, Jubilee, you're the main part of this plan. I mean, I know I can fight--but you have the real force here." It was true, but she knew the importance of the situation would make an impact on Jubilee, and it might help her performance on the way out. "Let's get some sleep, just for a short while. When it's dark we can make it work."

* * *

Rogue posed herself at the door to her small cell, keeping her breathing low and quiet. She couldn't hear anything. There were no steps on the stairs, no voices, no steps above them. They must either be asleep or out. She rushed to the wall where she could speak to Jubilee and called out to her. 

"Ok, I think we're set. I can't hear anything at all."

"Me either. Ok, I'm gonna try and just get the doorknob, so I can swing it open."

Rogue waited and heard a small whiz, then a small, muffled explosion. "Hah!" There was a triumphant cry and Rogue could hear the footsteps near her own door. "Stand back." A bright light exploded in the doorway, and Rogue covered her eyes. When the light faded, and the small amount of dust cleared, Rogue pushed the door open, grunting softly.

She stood in the dark basement, her eyes adjusting to the dim light. She saw the younger girl standing in front of her, her hair messy and tangled around her face, which was smeared with dirt. Her clothes looked dirty and wrinkled, but she was standing on both feet, and she wasn't cradling either of her arms. Overall, she looked alright.

Apparently, the same couldn't be said for _her_, for as soon as Jubilee could see her, she gasped. "Rogue, what did they do to you?" She stepped forward and lifted her hand, lightly touching Rogue's bruised cheek. She grabbed the younger girl's hand and moved away, anxious to leave.

"I'll be fine. Let's just get out of here." The lights from the two cells helped bring light into the rest of the cellar, and they could see the silhouette of stairs at the far wall. "Ok, let's go."

"Wait!" Jubilee ran to a bag under the stairs. "Look, I think these are--"

"Shh." Rogue hushed, as Jubilee was rummaging.

"Hah. They're golf clubs!"

"What?" Rogue took one that was handed to her. "What kind of violence group keeps their stuff in the same place as their holding cells?"

"Poor ones, did you see that women's clothes? It looked like she survived World War II."

"Right." She held the club up like a baseball bat. "Let's head up there. We can try and get to a food place or pay phone to call the mansion."

"Ok, let's go."

The headed up the stairs slowly, cautiously, testing to see if they would creak or not. They moved slow enough where the sound did not matter and when they reached the top of the stairs, Jubilee tested the doorknob. It was open, but it took a good push to open. The reverberating sound of the door crashing open seemed to echo through the house for ages, making both of them draw in breaths and freeze.

The room they had entered, the kitchen, was dark and there was a door leading to what must be the rest of the house. It was a swinging door, and there was no light showing from underneath it. Rogue paused a moment before following Jubilee towards it. "Wait," She whispered. "Should we try to find the phone? We could just use theirs."

"I just want to get out of this place." The other girl answered, showing her anxiousness. "We should just get out of here."

"Right, we'll find one later." They paused as they slowly opened the door, which hit something that was blocking it on the other side. They peeked around the edge and saw a dark figure slumped over in a chair, quietly snoring. They eyed each other, and Rogue took hold of the door, pulling it back towards them and motioning for Jubilee to hold it back that way. She held her golf club up high and brought it down hard on the man's skull. The body thumped down as the chair overturned, Rogue moving quickly to try to catch them both, to muffle the sound.

Both girls froze, listening for anyone to come running. Nothing happened and Rogue glanced up at Jubilee, shrugging. "Maybe they don't think we're a threat," She whispered as she stood. They made their way through the room they were in now, a dark dining room. They made their way towards what appeared to be the front door. Rogue bent down to look out the window on one side, while Jubilee did the same with the other side. It was pitch black outside, with snow lightly falling to the already white ground.

"No one seems to be around," Rogue whispered.

"Hey, there's a bike out there." Jubilee said, pressing her face to the glass. "Did Logan ever teach you how to drive one?'

"Damn it," She cursed. "No. We never got to that one."

"There's a car, and a truck, I could hotwire one of them."

She glanced at the younger girl. "How do you know how to hotwire a--" She hook her head. "Never mind."

"Well, we could try."

"And wake the whole house while we're at it." She stood. "Come on, let's just get out of here." She opened the door as cautiously as she could and they slipped out into the dark night. They ran over to the bike, which was leaning against a garage. Jubilee took a long look at it, while mumbling to herself. Rogue tried to remember what she had learned in mechanics while she slowly spun around, taking in the scenery.

It appeared to be an old farmhouse, with land stretching out in every direction. How were they supposed to know which direction to go in? Jubilee was still messing with the motorcycle and Rogue shook her head. "Come on, let's get walking. I just want to go home."

Suddenly, there was a crash as the motorcycle fell over onto some hubcaps that had been piled next to it. Jubilee jumped back and glanced up in surprise to Rogue's face. They stared at each other for a moment before they heard sharp and incredibly loud barking coming from the house. Rogue cursed as the front door flew open and two people ran out, with a dog racing ahead of them. The German Shepard leapt off the porch, landing in front of the two girls and growling, his hair raised on edge as he stood his ground. Rogue kept a tight hold on her golf club and tried to keep her breathing even. _Stay calm, _she told herself, _you'll fight better if you stay calm_.

"Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit." Jubilee chanted as she eyed the people on the porch.

"Stay calm," Rogue whispered. "We just have to get to a phone somewhere."

"Where? We're in the damn Amish country or something!"

"And just where d'you think you're goin', miss Kate?" They heard from the porch. "I _know _you didn't think you'd be getting' too far, now."

Rogue saw a figure come around the left side of the house and she narrowed her eyes. "They're trying to surround us," she whispered.

"Well, then, let's take them!"

"Jubilee--"

"I'll take these ones, you run around back!"

"What--"

"Just go!" There were explosions as Jubilee suddenly shot her fireworks toward the house, illuminating the scene. Rogue's heart shot in her chest and she followed the younger girl's orders. She ran around the opposite direction that she had seen the figure, puffing as her sneakers began to seep in more wetness. There were shouts coming from the front of the house and Rogue stopped to catch her breath quickly. She heard snow crunching nearby and braced herself, raising her golf club high.

Someone came around the corner and chuckled. "You didn't think that lil' club is gonna stop me, did you?" He chuckled, his voice sounding familiar. "After all, I took you out at your so-called school, this should be just the same."

She drew in a breath as she narrowed her eyes at him. "You." She said.

He chuckled. "Glad you remember me. Too bad you didn't notice me in the diner over the past few weeks…" He began to circle around her. "You really aren't too good with faces are ya, Kate?"

The sarcastic way he spoke to her, the sneering way he spoke her name snapped a memory toward her. "Bacon cheeseburger, double fries." She said quietly, remembering. His sardonic sneer as he sipped his water, his eyes following her around the diner…

The same eyes as now. "You've been tracking me for weeks, haven't you?" She asked in wonder, taking steps to circle around as well. She wasn't going to be caught off-guard this time. She wouldn't be brought down.

"Glad you got it now," He said. "You know, we only want to help you."

"Oh, by kidnapping me?" She scoffed, gripping her club. "Yeah, that's real neighborly, thank you." Keep him talking, keep him distracted. She could hear the ruckus from the front of the house, and she bit her lip thinking about how well Jubilee was holding up.

"You're not one of them," He answered, his voice sardonic now, "why would you want to stay there?"

"Oh, because here is so much better?" she retorted.

He scoffed. "You're not leaving, Kate. We can't allow you to tell anyone what we do."

Suddenly there was an incredible explosion from the front, and the entire house was illuminated. She gasped as her heart jumped into her throat. "Jubilee!" She cried as she began to take off toward the front yard.

"You aren't going anywhere--" The figure started out, moving after her, chasing her as she ran. He managed to grab her arm, but she kicked her foot back, hitting his knee. She spun as his grip loosened and swung the club as hard as she could, connecting with his cheek and causing him to spin into the snow-covered ground. He groaned and she jumped over to his body, swinging the club one, two, three times down upon his back. She grunted as she swung a quick kick to his side before turning.

She panted as she continued towards the front, letting out a small cry as she saw the disarray happening at the front of the house. There were at least half a dozen men running around, trying to make their way past Jubilee's fireworks show. There were small and large piles of fire--Jubilee must have set fire to one or two vehicles with her fireworks, which would explain the explosion she saw before.

"Jubilee!" She shouted, making her way forward. She ran into a man holding a fire extinguisher, and, without thinking, brought her club across the back of his skull as hard as she could. He grunted as he crumbled and she grabbed the extinguisher, using it to dispense some of the flames. "Jubilee!" She yelled again as she saw another man do the same as her. He managed to make his way closer to the girl, who didn't notice him. "Behind you!" Rogue called as he lifted the extinguisher high and brought it down on the girl's head.

"No!" She cried, rushing forward and jumping on the man. He cried out, surprised. She pulled her fist back, hitting him hard in the nose and then bringing it straight down on the top of his head. He cried out again, stumbling back and she hopped down. She kicked at his chest, sending him failing back as she bent to grab at the extinguisher he dropped. She brought it down upon his chest when he landed and kicked his side.

She bent next to Jubilee's unmoving body, gasping to catch her breath. "Jubilee?" She asked, her voice panicked. She felt the girl's neck, searching for a pulse. "Wake up, come on, hon." She said, shaking the girl's shoulder. She glanced up, seeing the fire being to dissipate around her. There were dark figures closing in as the fire slowly went down.

Rogue shook harder, still gasping as she kept calling to Jubilee. "You have to wake up, come on." Getting desperate, she smacked the younger girl across the face, wincing herself as she did so. Looking up, she saw the figures getting closer and she jumped up, taking hold of the golf club she had dropped in the snow. Holding back her panic, she scrambled back towards the still figure. She stood, holding the club like a bat again. "Stay back!" She cried, her hands beginning to shake. Who knew what would be done to them now, if they were held prisoner again.

She heard a soft groan at her feet. "Rogue?" She glanced down, letting out a soft cry.

"Jubilee!" She bent and began to drag the girl up.

"What happened?" Her voice was sluggish and heavy.

"Jubilee, you have to use your power."

"I'm so tired…"

"Jubilee," It came out on a sob. "You have to help me out here. You have to shoot out ahead of us, as hard as you can--they're coming!"

"Rogue…"

"Oh, God," Rogue whimpered. She glanced up, the fire pretty much dispensed and the dark figures coming closer, surrounding them. "Stay BACK!" She yelled, holding the club out in one shaky hand, using her other hand wrapped around Jubilee's waist, helping to keep the girl standing. "Jubilee," She whispered, shaking her shoulders to try to shake the girl awake. "Please."

Her eyes fluttered as her head lolled, but she didn't make a noise, causing Rogue to groan. She gasped in panic as she swung the club at one of the figures that tried to step closer, causing him to take a step back quickly. She glanced around quickly, trying to make her mind work faster. What could she possibly do now? All that was behind them was more rubble, as the fire had died down, and the figures were closing in from the front. What to do, what to do?

She backed up slowly, dragging the practically-limp body along with her, grunting under the weight. As they moved, Jubilee moaned, but Rogue didn't respond this time, letting her panic set in as she saw no chance of escape from this one. "Wait," She cried out, still taking backward steps, "Please. She's just a teenager. She's a student." If all they wanted was _her_, maybe she could at least get Jubilee out of this. "You only want me, please." She stumbled and managed to catch herself before falling backwards, and bringing the comatose girl with her. As she managed to stop herself, she felt her ankle twist funny and cried out. It felt like her ankle was on fire and she hopped, trying to take her weight off the foot. She felt off balance again, with the added weight of Jubilee and looked beseechingly at the crowd, not forgetting the current situation. "Ju…just let her go."

As she struggled to stay standing, a loud whirr shrieked overhead and the men all cried out as they turned their heads towards the sky. Rogue's heart leapt as she recognized the familiar sound and as the familiar lights appeared, scanning the ground. She felt a smile break onto her face and a relieved sound, made up of a half-laugh, half-sob, broke from her throat as the X-Jet landed a short ways away.

Before it had even made contact with the ground, Rogue saw the hatch begin to open and saw two figures tumble out, one of them bearing claws, the other's ice armor reflecting off of the surrounding lights, while a third figure phased through the metal underbelly of the jet. She saw one more figure with wings soar above the jet, circling.

The men surrounding her were frozen, terrified and completely unsure what to do. "It's them!" One of them cried. "From that riot in New York City! They're mutants--get 'em!" The men all charged forward, yelling. She limped after them, dragging Jubilee's sagging body along. She dropped the golf club to loop Jubilee's arm around her shoulders, helping to hold the girl up.

She heard more than saw Wolverine's ferocious yell as he used his claws to knock people aside effortlessly. Kitty seemed to appear right in front of her, phasing herself through the middle of about two guys in a row. Rogue let out a relieved sigh as the younger girl jumped forward and grabbed Rogue in a tight hug. "It's about time!" Rogue said, feeling herself choke up.

"I'm sorry, we didn't know where you were, or who took you!" Kitty gasped, her eyes widening at the limp form of Jubilee. "Is she alright?"

"Yeah, just knocked out." Rogue groaned as she shifted the girl's weight as Kitty took part of the load, draping Jubilee's other arm around her own shoulders. They made their way to the jet, trying to work their way around some of the scuffles. Rogue saw Logan busy with about three people, while Bobby was taking care of another two. Rogue could see a couple limp bodies laying around, and she made sure to kick one as they passed.

When they reached the jet, Kitty took hold of Jubilee and phased them both up into the jet. Rogue began to limp up the ramp when something gripped her ankle and sent a sharp pain straight to her brain. Stifling a cry, she stumbled and landed on her hands and knees on the ramp. She glanced back, hearing a familiar, chilling voice. "I told you, you aren't going anywhere!" He growled, his face bloody and his clothes soaking wet from laying in the snow. She tried to shake him off, but he was still holding on to her already hurt ankle and squeezed tighter, sending another wave of pain through her leg.

He pulled, dragging her off the ramp and into the snow, making her head connect with the edge as she was yanked over it. Everything went black for what felt like a moment and her head felt like it was floating. When she managed to open her eyes again, she was bring dragged by her armpits, the rest of her body making tracks in the snow. Funny, she couldn't even feel the cold anymore.

"…can't let you leave. You know we'll just keep coming back for you." He was grunting as he pulled her along. _Mike._ Rogue frowned, remembering what his name was now. That was what his buddies would call him whenever he came to the diner. "Kate, you're not one of them," He said now, his voice hard as he yanked her to standing, so they were face to face. "And if you don't cooperate, we'll just make sure to keep getting you, and bringing you to different locations so they won't be able to find you."

She winced as the movements hurt her head, although the ache was lessening. She could see that he was taking her back to the house, toward the back. She figured he was going to try to sneak her inside, get past all the commotion that was happening out front. He shook her, letting out a growl. "Are you listening?" He said loudly, "We won't let you go!" She gasped as he shook her and she blinked as it brought her to her senses, glancing around.

He was taking her away from the jet. Everyone else was out front--they might not even know she was gone! She planted her feet and gathered all the saliva she could in her desert-dry mouth, pushing it forward to spit it at his face. He jumped back, releasing her. "Ugh!" He cried out in disgust, bringing a hand to his face. Rogue didn't waste a moment and bolted for the front yard again, but her throbbing ankle couldn't seem to hold her up and she stumbled into the snow. The man, Mike, came up behind her and grabbed her arm, rolling her over and standing over her.

"Now maybe you didn't hear me," He drawled, his chest puffed out as he looked down his chin at her. "I'm not letting you leave." She grunted as she tried to rearrange her legs so she could kick at him again, but she heard a loud, ferocious growl as a dark shape flew over her and straight into this man's chest, knocking him over. She scrambled to sit up as she saw Logan begin to wrestle with her captor.

"Get her out of here!" She heard him shout, and instantly she was grabbed under her armpits and lifted off the ground, her feet dangling below her.

She cried out at first, her stomach lurching at the sudden movement. "Warren!" She cheered, glancing up at him, her heart feeling lighter.

"Hey, there." He said, smiling his beautiful smile down at her. "Don't worry, I got you." He circled around, his massive white wings flapping, and Rogue could see Logan underneath them, pinning her attacker. Almost instantly, they were at the jet, and Warren landed, closing his wings in and walking up the ramp behind her, putting a helping arm out when she stumbled on her sore ankle. She limped over to a seat and plopped down, letting out a big sigh. Storm came over and began asking her questions, touching parts of hr body to see if anything was broken.

"I'm fine," Rogue insisted. "Just some bumps and bruises. What about Jubilee?"

"She'll be alright," Storm assured her, glancing where Kitty was sitting with Jubilee, who was semi-conscious now, with a cold cloth to her forehead. "To tell you the truth, I think she'll be excited about her first battle scars."

Rogue smiled and shut her eyes, letting her head fall against the headrest. She let out another sigh as her head throbbed, but she didn't care. As she rested her eyes, she began to feel her body relax and the stress of the past few days begin to settle on her, making her eyes heavy. As darkness settled in, she felt her smile grow. They had come for her, they were taking her home.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: A thousand apologies for the long delay! I've just been really busy, but please read, comment and above all--enjoy! Let me know what you think!!!_

* * *

She didn't know how long she was asleep, but when she woke it was sunny outside, with the sunlight streaming through her window. She squinted at bright light shining on her and let out a small groan as she turned her head to glance at her clock. It was almost evening at three o'clock and she yawned. She didn't even know what time everything had happened last night, or how long she had been asleep. 

She sat up, letting out a low moan as her head protested, aching in ways she had never felt before. When she tried to stand, rubbing her head, her ankle also protested. She sat still for a moment, annoyed, when the door opened.

"You're up." Peter walked in, carrying a tray full of food, drinks and medicine.

"Ugh." She groaned. "What's all that?"

"Stuff for you. I've been ordered to make sure you stay in bed. So, here's everything you'll need for a little while."

Rogue pulled her feet back onto the bed, but on top of the covers. "Please tell me you have headache medicine."

"Right here." He pulled out a bottle of pills. "And it should help your ankle too. I'm supposed to re-wrap it for you, too."

"Pete, I'm fine." She shook her head, then winced at the pain that caused. "Um, why are you stuck doing this?"

"Everyone else is sleeping, like you." He said. "We've been up for days trying to find you guys. Logan wouldn't sleep at all." Rogue glanced at him, ignoring her head. "I stayed behind last night to watch the kids, but it took everyone else hours to find the address of that guy who was always in the diner. I recognized his voice from whenever we would come visit you."

She smiled. "Thanks, Pete." She said quietly. "How's Jubilee?"

"She's ok. Her head's like yours, but she's sleeping too."

Rogue nodded, relieved. She glanced down at herself, noticing she was dressed in matching pajamas. "How did I get this on?" She wondered.

"We put you in it." Her eyes shot up to his, widened and he smirked. "Kitty and some of the others helped you take a shower, cause you were in the same clothes for about four days," he grimaced, "and then they helped you get dressed." He chuckled. "It was right after you got back, you don't remember?"

She shook her head. "No. But I don't remember a lot of details, really."

"You were asleep when everyone got back, so Logan carried you up here. But, again, same clothes for four days? You insisted on showering. You're very stubborn when you're sleepy." He smirked, his eyes full of mirth.

She grinned, and glanced up at him. "I think I'm going to rest a little more."

"Ok," He said, standing. "There's food to snack on, but you also have to wrap your foot again, make sure it's tight."

She nodded, picking at the food on the tray to make him feel better. She tried to move it after he closed the door and gasped, understanding why they had made Peter carry all this to her room. She managed to nudge it a little bit, but simply gave up and ended up picking at the food, and making sure to drink everything on the tray. She hadn't had very much to drink during her ordeal, and reveled in how much she had in front of her.

After another short rest, she rewrapped her ankle, making it as tight as she could. She sighed as she laid back against her pillows, glancing out her window. She could already feel the headache medicine working, as the pain in her temples diminished little by little. She took a deep breath as she tried to remember all the events of the past couple days, what exactly had happened. She had been knocked on the head various times, and wasn't sure what part of her memories were true and what parts weren't.

As she played through the memories in what she assumed was the correct order, she kept recalling the face of the younger man who had tried especially hard to keep her at that house. He had even had the gall to yank her off the ramp of the X-Jet and drag her in the snow. She tried to ignore the pang of worry that began in her belly as she recalled his words in the cold snow. _We'll just make sure to keep getting you, _he had said, _bringing you to different locations so they won't be able to find you._

She made herself take a deep breath, trying to keep her nervousness at bay. Had he really meant that? Would they really go to such lengths to try to keep her away from the Mansion? She jumped as she heard the loud ring of the main phone from the entrance hallway. She waited a couple rings, listening to hear who would pick it up, but it just kept ringing. She groaned as she realized Peter must have gone to sleep, too. She knew it had been a long few days. She winced as she forced herself to slide out of bed, hopping to make it down the front staircase.

She was surprised the phone had kept ringing this long, and hopped a little faster to make it to the phone in time. "Hello?" She gasped breathlessly as she finally managed to yank the phone off the receiver.

There was a faint click and then silence on the other end, and she slowly hung the phone up, feeling her stomach go through the tiniest of clenches.

And she visibly jumped when the phone rang again only a second later. She picked it up on the first ring now, "Hello!" She barked, her stomach doing flips.

Again, a quiet click and silence. She kept the phone to her ear now, feeling her nervousness rise as the dial tone began. She swallowed and hung up again, keeping her hand on the phone this time, waiting.

It didn't ring again.

She could feel her insides churning as she hopped back to her room, already knowing what had just happened.

It was them. They were calling to see if she was back at the Mansion.

She tried to reason with herself. There was no way they could act quickly to try to take her back. They still had to recover from their mini-crisis the night before. They would have to clean, figure out a new plan. This would take time.

But they're not going to let you go so easily. Who knows what they'll try net time, or many other students they're willing to hurt. Even the young ones…

Rogue stood still in the doorway to her bedroom as she pondered, an idea building in her mind. She took a breath, trying to decide just how much time it would take. She swallowed as she realized what she was considering, but kept her face blank as her plan ran through her head.

She knew what she had to do.

* * *

Rogue sat silently in the dark movie theater, her heart pounding as she surrendered herself to the very plan she had come up with. She glanced at Kitty next to her, and Pete on Kitty's other side, feeling her heart get heavier as she swallowed and gave in. 

"Hey, I actually want some snacks." She whispered, bending towards them. "You guys want anything?"

"Uh, no thanks," Peter started.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Kitty asked, putting her hands on the armrests to push herself up.

"No, no," Rogue insisted. "I'll be fine. I'm just kind of thirsty actually. I'll be right back, fill me in if I take too long, ok?"

"Yeah, sure," Kitty said, settling back and taking Peter's hand.

Rogue hobbled out, her ankle still slightly sore. She went to stand in line, her heart heavy, but calm. She made sure to keep her face serene and stared straight ahead at the food selection in front of her.

"You actually followed through, eh?" The chillingly hard voice chuckled behind her. "Would've thought you would chicken out."

"I told you over the phone," She started, her voice just as hard, "You were right. They don't even care about me. It was more about possession than anything else when they came to get me. I'm like a pet to them." Even though she wasn't facing him, she made sure to keep her face blank, showing no emotion.

"So, what's the plan, then, sweetheart?"

"You get me out of New York." She said, stepping forward as the line moved. "I was thinking Montana."

"What?" He let out a derisive laugh. "Montana?"

"It's faraway enough that it will take them a long time to even consider that state. I've never said anything about it to any of them. No one knows I even know where it is."

"And why so far away?"

"I've got other people besides them to worry about," She said, forcing herself to sound guarded. "I was on the run when they took me in, your mother was right…that's one reason I felt guilty about leaving."

"Oh, yeah, running from who? I'm gonna need to know…" He egged when she stayed silent.

She let out a pained sigh, making herself take a long pause. "My father."

"And why…?"

"Let's just say he saw me as more than a daughter." She said, clenching her teeth. "And really, _really, _didn't like letting me go." There was a pause behind her and she held her breath as she waited.

"Well, alright then."

She let the breath out; he had bought it. She turned her head back toward him now, as she took another step forward. "Thank you." She forced herself to say, only letting her eyes flicker to his face for an instant, before looking to the floor, as if embarrassed.

His face was puffy with healing bruises and the dark glasses he wore didn't help cover this up at all. She had to fight to keep her face controlled. _Logan sure messed you up_, she mused.

"We'll have to make sure to confuse them," He began, trying to move on.

She nodded_. Let him do the planning, don't let him think you've thought this all out._

"We'll send you north first, maybe up to Upstate New York, before you change trains to, say, Indiana." He paused for a moment. "Then you can head straight out to Montana from there. We'll pre-buy your tickets."

She let out a deep sigh. "It sounds perfect. I think it might work." She stepped forward and ordered a drink. After waiting for it, she turned and roughly rammed into him, dropping her oversized cup and gasping. "I'm so sorry! Oh, my goodness…" She murmured as she grabbed some napkins from the counter and bent, tugging on his arm to bring him with her. "Another thing." She said, her voice hard and business-like now.

"What?" He snapped, annoyed to be covered in fizzy drink.

"You have to promise to leave them alone when I'm out of there."

"What!"

"Shh!" She hushed him, keeping her head down. "If you keep bugging them, it will only make them look into you more…and they'll find a way to find out what happened with me. To know that you'd helped me get away."

"So?"

"So, then they'll never stop. I was theirs. And you're taking me away. You're helping me get away. Who knows what they'd do to you, your family, your house. Or even to your work."

He brought his eyes to hers, pausing.

"You haven't seen them use their full power," She said, forcing her voice to shake, "I have." She kept her eyes locked onto his, trying to sound fearful. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone." He blinked and began to speak but she cut in. "Just promise. I know you pretty much run everything. I'm trying to help you. They'd end up halting all the work you're doing."

"We can take care of ourselves."

"And what about your mother? She's old, she shouldn't have to be put through that." Rogue straightened, holding sopping napkins. "To lose her home…maybe some family members? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if people got hurt because of me."

He looked away and she stepped an inch closer. "Please."

"I'll think about it." But Rogue could tell he was considering it, his face distant as he considered his mother, the older woman in the ratty dress.

She sighed. "Thank you, Mike." She said, knowing what his answer would be. "I have to get back, they'll wonder." She took the second drink the vendor had made to replace the one she had dropped and turned away.

"I'll be in touch," He said behind her. "Give me two weeks." She paused, nodded, and continued on.

As she settled back into the theater, Kitty rolled her eyes at her. "Long line?"

"Yeah. And then I dropped it, so I had to get back in line for another one."

"Ugh, sorry." Kitty groaned, eyes focused on the screen.

"What'd I miss?" Rogue asked, not looking at the screen at all, but at her friend's face. It wouldn't be long until she would never see her again. She had never thought she'd get so close to someone in such a short amount of time. In just over three weeks, Kitty had become one of her closest friends at the school. Her chest felt heavy and she swallowed.

"This guy works for the government and has to lie to his family every day," The girl started, still focused on the screen. "And there's a rogue agent after him and…"

Rogue didn't hear any more, as she felt her throat thicken as she considered what her future would be like without her friends, the people who had become her family. Her only family. With another deep swallow, she forced herself to turn her eyes to the screen, staring at it but seeing nothing at all as her plans circled in her mind.

* * *

Rogue sat in the kitchen, her hands wrapped around a coffee mug as she stared into the dark liquid inside. She was so nervous, yet surprisingly her body felt incredibly calm. She had worked it out a million times in her mind, and knew that she would have to follow through. If this didn't work out tonight then the entire plan wouldn't work. 

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, thinking about what she was about to do. What she had to say. She felt her chest tighten at the knowledge that she was going to have to leave the Mansion. She could never come back, or she would be taken again. Or, worse, others would be taken. And hurt. She swallowed and then jumped when she heard someone stomp into the kitchen behind her and open the fridge.

She opened her eyes, preparing herself for the plan she had set up. Bobby turned to her from the fridge and gave her an awkward nod. "Hey, Rogue."

"Hi."

"So, uh, what's going on?'

She shrugged one shoulder, not answering. Things had been slightly awkward since that night, what felt like so long ago, when she and Bobby had fought and woken half the Mansion. Then, on top of it, she knew Bobby felt guilty about lacking in his scouting skills, and he felt responsible for hers and Jubilee's kidnapping. "Just tired."

"Yeah…makes sense." He mumbled awkwardly as he opened a soda bottle, eyeing her quickly before glancing away. He let out a big sigh and looked back at her. "Listen, Rogue…I'm sorry!" He burst out, putting his soda down, staring into her eyes imploringly.

She blinked, in real surprise at his passion. She forced herself to keep her face calm. "For what?"

"It's all my fault that you two were taken." He said, his face full of guilt. "I should have been more aware, I should have known better! Wolverine told us how focused they were on you, he figured they'd be coming to the Mansion again."

"Bobby--"

"No, I knew what the danger was, and I could take anything, Rogue, but to have you hurt because of me."

Perfect, he was playing right into what she needed him to say. She swallowed. _Show time. _"What do you mean by that?" She said slowly, her voice quiet and hesitant.

"Uh, well--"

"Bobby…" she made herself sound pained. "You can't just say things like that to me…we're broken up."

"Rogue, you're still my friend. You still mean a lot to me, I mean, you 're still my friend." He repeated.

"Bobby," She felt her throat tighten at what she was about to do, and used it to her advantage here. "I still love you!" She implored, the tears rising into her voice. "I, I always have…so--so you can't say such things to me and keep putting me through this." She stood, turning away from his dumbfounded look. "It's been harder on me than it has been on you--_you _had _Kitty _to fall back on and now you're perfect and the happy X-Man student, while I…"

"Rogue, Kitty dumped me."

"Yeah, but you're still ok!" She covered her face with her hands. "And I…I'm all alone." She made a sobbing noise, "I--I don't think I can do this right now…" She started to walk past him, and he grabbed her arm, holding her back. Just as she wanted.

"Wait, you can't just…"

"Bobby, let me go!" She cried out, real tears in her eyes now. "Don't you get what I'm telling you? Ah can't stay here anymore!" She yanked her arm away, letting her accent slip through. "Ah'm not one of you anymore, and Ah put you all in danger. Ah don't deserve to stay here anymore." She made eye contact for the breifest of moments and then pushed him away, as if to control herself. "I need to be alone, I'm going to my room."

"Rogue…"

"No, Bobby, I--just…" She shook her head and moved away as she trailed off, rushing up the stairs to her bedroom, slamming the door shut forcefully. It hadn't happened exactly how she had wanted it to; but she had gotten the main points in there that she needed. Or at least something enough like what she needed to make the right impression. She leaned against her door for a moment, wiping her face and forcing her tears to stop. She let out a sigh, sniffed and moved to grab her already-packed bag from her bed. She laid the already-written note on her dresser.

Moving quickly, she pulled on her old green coat and rushed towards her window. She glanced out onto the snow-covered ground, gathering the distance that she had to jump. It really wasn't that far, she was sure she could make it if she hung by her hands first instead of jumping straight away.

No one would come check on her until morning, she was sure, so she had to make sure to get to the meeting point as planned. She was supposed to take a midnight train north, and then switch to another train heading back south. She grabbed her bag and made sure to have the few things packed that she needed, and flung it out the window, hearing the soft _thump _of its landing. She turned off the light, biting her lip as she moved to sit on the windowsill. She lowered herself by her arms and squeezed her eyes shut as she dropped and let herself fall.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Sorry, sorry, so sorry! This took _way _longer than I thought it would! I hope you all forgive me enough to read and give me some more amazing comments. _

* * *

Logan's heart was beating furiously as he followed Kitty towards Rogue's room, his eyes narrowed and teeth clenched. "When did this happen?"

"Bobby said last night, about eleven, I guess." Kitty answered over her shoulder, phasing through Rogue's closed door in her hurry. "Rogue?" He heard her ask as she disappeared into the room. Logan let out an annoyed sigh and turned the handle, bursting inside to see Kitty holding a folded piece of paper, standing in the middle of an essentially empty room.

Her bed was made, with an old sweater tossed onto it. The closet door was open, showing empty hangers, while her dresser top was empty, her few possessions and photos gone.

He froze and met Kitty's eyes as she glanced up at him. She let her eyes drop as she handed the paper to him.

**_I'm sorry, I don't belong here anymore. I'll miss you all. _**

**_-R_**

Logan growled as he shot out the door and down the stairs. "Storm!" He called as he made his way toward the Professor's old office. He opened the door and slammed the note on her desk. "She's gone. She just took off."

Storm took the crumpled paper and read it, her eyes scanning the few words before glancing up at him. She took a moment before answering, her thoughts swirling through her head. "Logan, this is shocking, but--"

"But?" He cut in.

"But…maybe this is what Rogue needs now."

"What?"

"She's been feeling left out ever since she got back, and her break up with Bobby only made things worse." Storm began slowly, "If this is what she wants, then we have to respect that."

"But she thinks that we don't want her around anymore," Kitty put in from the doorway, coming inside. "She has no idea that she'll always be accepted here."

"Of course she knows that, Kitty," Storm said, standing. "That's the entire aspect of this school: being accepted, being safe. But this is a confusing time for Rogue right now. There's no reason we shouldn't let her go out and have a normal life in the real world if she wants. She can't stay hidden in the school forever."

"You don't even care." Kitty said accusingly. "You've always been resentful of her because you think she's a coward for taking the cure." Her voice was spiteful and strained. Storm blinked, surprise coming to her face as she opened her mouth. "No, you haven't stopped being angry about that. You're probably happy that she's gone. You probably think she betrayed us by taking the cure. You-you probably think she doesn't deserve to be here anymore because she's not 'one of us' anymore!"

"Kitty. Enough." Logan said, cutting her off, his voice curt. Kitty closed her mouth, face pinched, keeping her angry glare on Storm.

"You know that's how she feels, Logan. Everyone knows. Everyone can tell."

"Kitty." His voice was curt now, dangerous.

"Even Rogue." She stepped closer to the two adults. "You're one of the reasons she felt so out of place here. Did you know that? She felt like you were constantly judging her." Kitty took a breath to continue but Logan stepped toward her and she halted, clenching her jaw.

Storm stood in place, her face full of shock. She opened her mouth to speak but Kitty cut her off, holding up a hand. "Don't bother." She turned, throwing a glance to Logan before walking out of the room.

The two professors stood in awkward silence for a moment, Storm blinking. She took a step towards Logan. "Logan,"

He studied her, his face unreadable. "Let's just focus on this, alright?" He said quietly after a moment, turning and walking out of the room. They would have to focus on Storm's issues some other time, he wasn't in the mood.

Silently, he thought about how the kid hadn't even said goodbye. Not even to him. She had just vanished.

A small voice in the back of his head whispered to him. _It's Rogue, it's what she does. _After a moment, the same voice continued. _It's what you do, too. _He felt a great weight fall on his chest as he realized that she was gone.

* * *

Rogue kept her jaw clenched as she rushed toward her connecting train. Her bag was getting heavier the longer she had to carry it and her long coat only seemed to keep getting in her way as she tried to move faster. She had taken the train ride to Northern New York and then caught her connecting one to Indiana. The train had come in late, so she had approximately 2 minutes to make it to the train that would take her to Texas. From Texas she was supposed to catch another train north to Montana. 

She knew in reality that she did not need to take such a roundabout route, but she also knew it was important for her to play along with her new "buddies" in the Friends of Humanity. She scoffed to herself as she hopped on the train, the door closing directly behind her.

She let out a deep sigh and wiped the sweat from her brow as she slumped into a seat. She closed her eyes in exhaustion, and smoothed her hair away from her face. As she heard the beginning announcements from the conductor, she glanced out the window, stifling a yawn, which made her miss the movement of a hooded figure step onto the car and slip into a seat a couple of rows behind her.

She pulled her bag towards her and pulled out her tickets, making sure she had the correct one pulled out, and was relieved that none of the group men had been able to come with her. At least one or two had been on her earlier trains, watching over her like a hawk. She had begun to get the feeling that they didn't trust her, after all, but since they weren't following her around anymore, perhaps they were realizing that she _could _be trusted.

She smirked, except that she actually couldn't. Apparently they would be making contact with her once she reached Montana and keep tabs on her. She managed to stifle her snort. _Fat chance. _

With a small grimace, she settled into her seat and closed her eyes as she listened to the opening announcements. Her mind began to drift, and she gave in, finally letting the memories of the past day swirl in her brain. With a pang, she let her final memory of the Mansion play in her mind.

_She had managed to land pretty well on the ground after her fall. Her hurt ankle was throbbing slightly, but it wasn't nearly the amount of pain that she had expected. She was able to walk just fine, which would help her later on, she knew. _

_She had rushed toward the front of the grounds, pausing to punch in the security code for the front gate. As it swung open, Rogue kept her face serene. She couldn't let herself think about what she was doing; if she thought too much, then she would turn back towards the Mansion and never follow through with her plan. _

"_You're leaving." A hollow voice said from behind, causing her to gasp and spin around. _

"_J-Jimmy." She said, her throat tight. He was standing on the pathway, his coat wrapped tightly around him._

"_You're not even going to say goodbye." His voice was still hollow, his breath showing up in white puffs in the cold air. She bit her lip, taking a step forward. _

"_Jimmy." She paused. "I have to go." She ran a nervous hand through her hair. "I'm sorry. I…I just don't belong here anymore."_

"_Everyone is always welcome here." He began, but she cut him off. _

"_I know. But that doesn't mean I belong here." She swallowed. "I'm not an X-Man, Jimmy. I'll never be one again. And," she stumbled, the tears gathering in her eyes. "I need to be on my own, now. This isn't my life anymore. My staying here only put everyone in danger."_

"_I don't want you to go." _

_With a pang she recalled saying those exact words to Logan only a few years ago and she swallowed, trying desperately to dissolve the growing lump in her throat. "I know." She answered. "I'll miss you, too. But I _need _to do this, Jimmy."_

_He glanced at the ground, avoiding her gaze. "No one understands me like you."_

_She stepped forward, squeezing him into a tight hug. She took a deep breath, pulling away after a short moment. "I told you, they'll get over it." She forced herself to smile. "It might help without me around, the outcast that I am."_

_He grinned and let out a sigh. "Where are you going?"_

"_I don't know yet. Probably north," She lied, hating herself for it. She took a moment to continue. "Jimmy, don't tell anyone you saw me leave."_

_He nodded, accepting her request with no questions. She thanked him, hating herself for using his crush on her to her advantage. He would do whatever she asked, she knew it. But if he didn't tell anyone, it would take longer for them to follow her. If they followed her at all. _

"_I have to go, now." She said, still fighting against the lump. "I really will miss you. I'll miss everyone."_

"_I'll miss you, too." She nodded and pulled him into another hug. _

"_Don't worry, pretty soon you'll have all the girls chasing after you. And you'll forget about me." She grinned and picked up her bag, moving through the gate. "Bye, Jimmy."_

_"Bye." And she had vanished into the dark winter night, rushing to the meeting point a mile away. There was supposed to be a car there, meant to bring her to the train station. As she walked the long mile, she let herself feel her sadness and had finally let her tears trail down her cold cheeks, the pain seeping out of her with every step._

* * *

Taking out a blue hooded sweatshirt, she yanked off her regular green jacket and pulled the sweatshirt on. She pulled out a different scarf and wrapped it around her neck, stuffing her other items back into the bag. _Now, _she thought, _time for the real disguise. _She picked up the black baseball cap she had bought in New York and threw her hair up into a ponytail, yanking the cap on and pulling her hair through the hole in the back. She pulled and worked with the loose hair behind her head, painfully, to make sure the white streaks were covered by her darker hair.

Taking a deep breath, she studied herself in the mirror. Completely different from her usual style. None of those goons would be able to recognize her if they saw her. She gave a nervous smile and hauled her bag up, rushing out to get to the ticket counter.

"Hello, ma'am, can I help you?" The bored blonde woman said, and Rogue felt a pang at the familiar southern twang.

"Yes, hello," She answered, adopting her old drawl. Might as well try to throw them off the trail even more, she figured. None of the Friends of Humanity people even knew she was from the south. "Ah'd like a ticket to Pennsylvania, please."

"Where, Pennsylvania?"

"Uh," What was a city in Pennsylvania? "Pittsburgh, the first one available." She dug in her pocket for her cash.

"There's one leaving in 30 minutes, dearie," The woman said, clicking the keys on her keyboard.

"That's great, thanks." Rogue sighed.

"That's $82.76."

Rogue could feel her eyes bulge, but managed to keep her surprise at bay. Good thing she had saved so much of her tip money from the diner. She handed the woman five twenties and watched as change was made, again missing the hooded figure peeking at her from a pay phone nearby. As she rushed toward the train she had to meet, she walked right past him and failed to notice him slowly set the phone back on the receiver and set off behind her.

* * *

_I know this isn't going in the directions that some of you are suggesting/hoping/urging me to do (Yes, nevermindthebuttocks, I'm talking to you_P_) but what fun would it be if this story was exactly what you expected, hmm?_


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: I know I make you guys wait, but I hope you like it!_

* * *

Rogue yawned as she settled herself into her seat, her body feeling strained and tired. She had taken a bus from Pittsburgh to Baltimore, and then spent a couple hours in a corner café, waiting for her next train.

While she had been waiting in line to buy a ticket, to where she thought would be South California, she remembered the pang she had felt in her heart when she had heard the familiar southern twang, she immediately changed her mind and when she had stepped up to the counter, she had immediately asked for a ticket to Alabama.

She had a couple hours to kill, though, so she was enjoying a sandwich while waiting for the time to pass. She was slightly uncomfortable in her "disguise" though. She felt as if she stuck out like a sore thumb, in a hooded sweatshirt and a baseball cap. As she took a bite of her sandwich she glanced out the window, lost in her thoughts.

She knew she wasn't going to stay in Alabama, she had never particularly liked the state, but perhaps one of the Carolinas, or Louisiana, perhaps. She wasn't sure which state she wanted to go to, she would figure that out once she reached Alabama.

Her chest felt lighter for the first time in a long time and she smiled to herself, standing to pull her bag up over her shoulder. She threw a last look to the café and walked outside to the train station. She walked slowly, meandering since she had so much time to spare. As she waited at the crosswalk, she noticed a familiar form out of the corner of her eye but when she turned to take a second glance, the figure had vanished completely. Frowning to herself, she tried to tell herself that she must have been imagining things, but she took another glance, anyways.

As she bought a coffee in the train station, she felt eyes on her back and, trying to seem nonchalant, she tried to turn her head to glance behind her, and saw the hooded figure of a man rush behind her, and she turned the other way, feeling her stomach tighten. Someone was following her. Was it one of the Humanity men? Had they managed to follow her? To find out that she had been planning to ditch them all along?

She took her coffee with a tight smile and stiffly walked towards the bathroom. Her stomach was still tight and she hurriedly rustled through her bag again, trying to find some more clothes. She yanked off the sweatshirt and the cap, throwing them on the counter, while freeing her hair. She pulled out an old sweater and yanked it on, buttoning the buttons quickly.

She pulled out some bobby pins she had stored and once again worked to hide the white streaks of her hair. She managed to wrap them around her head, pinning them to stay in place and yanking an old silk scarf out of her bag. She pulled it on over the white part of her hair, making an impromptu headband that worked to cover her very conspicuous hair.

She let the rest of her hair hang free and pulled the bag up again, taking hold of her coffee. She knew it might not work so well, her bag probably made her stick out more than anything, but she needed to try at least. She took hold of her ticket and walked quickly out of the restroom, moving with purpose to the train that she was supposed to take. As she rushed on board, she couldn't help throwing a glance behind her, and letting out sigh of relief when she didn't see any hooded figure behind her.

She slumped into her seat, her bag sitting on her lap as she brushed her hair back. The headband didn't really do anything at all. After a few moments, she stood and struggled to get her bag in the compartment above the seat and grunted when she finally got it properly placed, she dropped into her seat once again. She knew she was early, and the train had at least a half hour until it left, but she had been desperate to escape the strange man.

She closed her eyes, suddenly very tired and rested her head back against the seat. She felt more than heard someone come up the aisle and stop next to her seat. Without opening her eyes, she became very aware of who had been following her for who knew how long, maybe even from New York. She felt her heart begin to pound as she opened her eyes.

She kept her face turned away towards the window as she felt himself settle into the seat next to her. Her heart kept pounding as he stayed silent, and she began to worry. Was he going to talk at all? Was he even going to stay in the seat, or just leave without speaking at all?

"You runnin' again?"

Instantly, she felt her throat close up. She had tried so hard to not think about the family she was leaving behind and this in no way was helping. She couldn't let herself be convinced to go back, though. "I have to go." She forced out, trying to keep her voice steady.

He was silent and she let out a small sigh, still keeping her gaze locked on the scenery outside the train. "Logan, I'm a danger to you all." She forced out.

"And that made you pair up with those humanity scumbags?"

She let out a small gasp and glanced at him quickly in surprise. How had he found out? As soon as she made eye contact, though, she regretted it and turned quickly back to the window. Of course he would have found out. It was _Logan._ She swallowed and kept her eyes locked on the scenery outside. "You don't know what you're talking about."

He scoffed and she could feel the disdain seeping off of him. Against he better judgment, she felt the need to explain to him, to make him understand. She bit her lip, swallowing. "I'm a danger, Logan." She repeated. "It's not safe for me to stay there."

"What are you talking about?"

"Logan, they would have kept coming back for me." She said through gritted teeth. "They told me so."

"We would protect you."

"I'm not going to live in a cage in the sub-basement for the rest of my life." Her teeth were still gritted. "And, if they couldn't find me, you know they would have started to terrorize the mansion even more…or start to hurt the children." She glanced at him now, with guilt in her eyes. "I couldn't let that happen. I had to let them believe I was going with them. That was the only way I could get them to promise to leave you alone." She looked straight into his eyes for a moment before turning her head away yet again.

"So you traded yourself to keep _us, _a team of crime-fighting mutants, safe?" He asked, his voice quiet.

She felt her lip quirk at his question, and frowned. "And because I need to be on my own. I can't live off the mansion or the X-Men forever."

"We don't--"

"But I _do _care." She turned again, facing him fully. "Logan, you need to let me do this. This is what's right for me now."

"Rogue--"

"I know you don't want me to go--"

"Marie."

"Logan." She started into his eyes. "You can't stop me. You of all people should understand how I need to figure myself out. Alone." She paused, ready to finish the conversation before quickly adding, "You don't need to worry, I'm ditching the plan I made with those people. I'm going off on my own. They won't be able to find me."

He set his jaw and let out a sigh. He glanced around the compartment. He took a moment before glancing at her. "So…where are you going?"

She tried to hold back her smile of relief, while feeling a lump beginning to form in the back of her throat. "Well, this train's going to Alabama, but I'm not staying there. I was thinking maybe Texas."

"Back south, then?"

"Or maybe Colorado, if I get bored." She smiled. "You know how I love the snow."

He studied her for a moment, his usual half smile playing on his lips. "Hmph." He made a non committal sound before letting out sigh and lifting a hand to rub her shoulder. "You'll keep in touch?"

She felt her smile grow, and could feel the tears building behind her eyes. She nodded, "Of course I will."

"I'm gonna miss you, kiddo."

She nodded again, swallowing hard. "I'll miss you, too." He kept his gaze on her face before wrapping his arm around her and pulling her into a tight hug. He sat back after a moment, studying her face. He gave a small nod, squeezing her shoulder before standing.

"See you around, kid." She nodded, her throat still tight. She watched him walk down the aisle and out the door. Her eyes followed him through the window as he meandered through the train station, not looking back. She let out a small sigh, pulling the headband off and the pins out of her hair. She finger combed it and glanced away from the window, smoothing her hair.

As she glanced away, she failed to see Logan stop at the coffee shop and turn around. He stayed still while watching as the train began to move. There was no way to for her to know that he stayed in that spot long after the train had left the station.

Her chest felt incredibly light and her stomach fluttered as she realized the monumental event that was about to take place in her life. She was on her own.

She was going to begin her life as an adult.

A blessedly _normal _adult.

* * *

As the chilly air swept around the small park in California, a graying man sat alone at a chessboard, his back hunched, looking dejected. His flannel jacket helped to keep out the chilly air, and the cap he wore helped to cover his thinning hair. All around him were pairs of old men--old friends, comrades--playing a friendly game together.

He was sitting quietly, completely lost in his thoughts as he stared blankly at the pieces in front of him. Thoughts consisting of his life…his accomplishments…his failures.

Oh, of his failures.

Again, for the millionth time, he replayed the same events through his head: of his work, of his lost friends…of one friend in particular…and of his downfall. It was over. It was all--

Suddenly, something was different. There was a strange sense around him, within him, reverberating through his body. A feeling, a reminder of his past that he never thought he'd feel again. His eyes focused on the board in front of him and he narrowed his eyes, studying one particular chess piece.

Hesitantly, tentatively, he lifted his hand and concentrated on the chess piece. He flicked his fingers, the smallest of movements.

And with a quiet gasp, he saw the small metal item quiver.

Slowly, warmth seemed to spread through his entire body, making him forget the chilly winter air as a heat began to swell in his belly. He straightened his back, his shoulders rolling back and his head lifting, chin rising as a slow contemplative smile broke onto his face.

Perhaps it wasn't over, after all.


	12. Chapter 12

_Well, here it is...are you ready?

* * *

_

One year later… 

Rogue stood in the dark hallway, closing the wall panel behind her. She felt goose bumps trailing up her skin as the her thin heels clicked on the hardwood floor. She rubbed her arms, trying to keep herself warm in the chilled house. She took a shaky breath as the hard lump that had been firmly in place in her belly began to ebb.

She was back in the one place she never expected to be again.

Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Manchester, New York.

The place she had once called her home. That had been her only home.

She hadn't been able to get in the front door. It had been locked. That alone had shocked her. It was so unlike the regular Xavier's. Or at least, the Xavier's she had known. But, things had changed in the past few months. _Drastically, _she added to herself as an afterthought. And not just for the school, for the whole country.

But the Mansion was pitch black, with not a single light on. This also shocked her. There were many students who usually didn't sleep, or simply stayed up late. Besides the students, Logan or Storm usually stayed up late as well.

So, she had circled the Mansion, trying to figure something out, when the memory of Stryker's attack had come rushing back to her, and she remembered the secret tunnels and passageways out of the school. She might be able to get in using those.

It had taken her a good amount of time to get the grate by the driveway open and then to crouch through the tunneled opening. It had taken her an even longer time to get the wall opened from the inside of the passageway, but eventually she was successful, stumbling into the first floor hallway as the wall slid open.

She rubbed her bare arms again now; she had forgotten how early it got cold in the north. Taking a couple steps forward, she winced as she felt the blisters on her feet ache. She had been wearing the same pair of agonizingly painful high heeled shoes through her trip, and her feet were beginning to protest.

She sighed as she walked past the staircase. It smelled the same. It seemed as if nothing had changed, even though she knew it had. She closed her eyes for a brief second, letting the familiarity of this place, which had once been her home, comfort her.

She would be strong. She _had _to be strong. She had to learn to accept this and learn to accept who she was. She--

Footsteps on the stairs broke through her thoughts, causing her heart to take a small leap in her chest. The lump in her belly re-solidified instantly. She braced herself, staying silent, not sure who she would see first. Would it be Kitty? Storm? Bobby? Or even Jimmy? She bit her lip, unsure whether she should call out, or stay quiet, waiting it out.

She saw the figure come into view before she could make any decision. Bare feet, white undershirt and typical flannel shirt, unbuttoned and hanging loose around his shoulders. As soon as she recognized him, she felt her self control begin to crumble and couldn't bring herself to speak, too afraid to open her mouth.

He stopped on the stairs and paused before squinting in the dark. There was a long, drawn out moment before she heard him speak, the rumble of his deep voice full of disbelief. "Rogue?"

At the sound of the familiar voice she felt a sob escape her constricted throat and she clapped a hand to her mouth, trying to cover the sound as her eyes began to fill with tears. After a quick moment, she removed her hand and smiled through her tears at him, forcing the liquid to stay behind her eyes. _Don't cry, you swore you wouldn't cry._

"Hi, Logan."

He stepped forward, studying her face, while his own looked confused. He could tell something wasn't right, and was suspicious. In the back of her mind, she was sure her tears were the main factor in confusing him. For all he knew, she was just being an emotional female.

"Hey there, kiddo. What are you doing back?" He was close, too close to her, and she realized he meant to move in for a hug. She glanced down at herself, remembering that she was wearing only a thin, decorated tank top. Reflexively, she jerked away, panic swelling in her, while it became obvious on her face.

Logan froze, frowning at her as he scanned her face. She gulped, trying to fight her panic and the constant feeling of tears. "You…you don't want to do that." She said quietly, brokenly.

"Do what?"

"Ah might hurt you."

"Rogue…" He said slowly, seeing her face being to crumple as she spoke. "What are you talking about?" He stayed still, waiting for her answer.

"Ah had to come back." She answered simply, her voice shaking.

"Why?" He prodded when she paused, becoming truly concerned now. He moved forward again, reaching his hand out. She jumped back again, the panic bubbling over, causing her to shriek.

"Don't touch me!"

"Ok, ok." He answered, trying to keep her calm, staying on edge as he kept his gaze locked on her face.

She felt her face crumple as she realized she'd have to face up to it. She had to say it out loud; she had to admit it to herself. As she spoke, the tears she had tried so desperately to hold back began to slide down her cheeks and she could hear her voice crack.

"Mah powers. They're back."

* * *

_This is the end of Part I. Remember how I said this was going to be three parts? Well, Part II is up as well: "Rising Tides". I feel like the direction this story is going is will be too long as one story, so I split it up into a new type to X-Men Trilogy haha. _

_I made sure to put them up together to help you guys find the new story AND to give you more to read, since I always take far too long to update. So, I hope you enjoyed and make sure to keep reading Part II!!_


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